Angel's Heart, Devil's Destiny REDUX
by Daisuke Haoru
Summary: A remake of my very first story, extended! When a young man meets the girl of his dreams in the Soul Calibur world, will he get back home and leave her behind or will he stay? R&R please!
1. Prologue

_Author's Note: Daisuke Haoru here! I feel I had to do this so I am rewriting this story for everyone. I felt there were some parts hat people may have gotten lost with, so I have decided to rewrite the story, as I hope this will be more successful later on. I felt the story was sloppy, but at that time I just begun, so I hope everyone who reads this story will like it. And yes, I will get a little graphic in this story, so if you don't like the story, you don't have to read it, but I hope my efforts will have you, the readers, enjoy this story. So please do leave your comments, reviews, opinions, etc._

Prologue – The Warrior with the Steel Paddle

Rumors are told about a warrior who came from another world. This warrior wielded a steel paddle almost as big as himself. Though his real name is Angelo, this young man is Leonsritt. A 19-year-old, this young warrior had come from the 21st century. He had been living a normal life, just like everyone else, until one day...

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Angelo walked down the street, just a few blocks away from his home. "Ugh, another rejection. I can't believe I'm such a damn loser..." he said. He though about the little event that happened a few minutes ago, "I like someone else, she says..." He kept walking until he felt drops of water fall on him. "Just my damn luck, now it's about to rain," he said until he felt someone grab his jacket from his shoulder. He felt the ground and saw two thugs holding him down. He managed to kick one of them off and the other thug punched him in his face and gut, knocking him down. They pushed him to a puddle of water, as rain kept falling. He saw the two run away with his school bag. He struggled to stand up and coughed up blood. "Really... and my money was in there too... Screw this..." he shouted and he began to run, chasing them down, he managed to reach them but the two jumped a high fence. Angelo fell and struggled to get up. "Damn it!" he shouted. He looked around and noticed he was two houses away from his own. He walked into his house and rested. "Crap... I lost some of my money" he said. He walked into his room, going to his bed. He lied down and turned to look at a weapon he crafted, a replica of the Steel Paddle from his favorite fighting game, Soul Calibur. "If only I had this with me, then they wouldn't have gotten away..." he said. He sat up, with pain on his gut and grabbed his controller, ready to play the game. He kept playing and his next opponent was Cassandra. He looked at the girl and then turned to a statue of her. "Man, if only you were real..." he said. He turned back to the screen and played, and he felt tired. He looked at the screen and played, but his eyes closed.

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He opened his eyes and he was still looking at the screen, but the game froze. He stood up and walked to the system only to feel pulled away from it. He quickly reacted and reached his weapon. He turned with weapon in hand and no one was found. He suddenly felt as though he were falling. He felt everything going away, saw everything fade to black, and lost consciousness. As he awoke, he found out he wasn't in his room anymore, but in a forest. Confused, he rose from the floor, looking around, seeing nothing but trees. Shaking the dirt off , he realized his clothes had changed. His jacket was now sleeveless and adorned with leather straps as were his cargo pants. A red bangle now dangled from his left wrist as well. His shirt had lengthwise zippers on the sleeves, as did his pants. Picking up his steel paddle, he heard noises coming towards him. "What the..." he said and gripped his blade, "I hope what I practiced everyday is worth doing." He stood weapon in hand, ready. He saw a band of thieves fast approaching. They stopped in front of Angelo setting aside their bags of ill gotten items. They took out their knives ready to take him down. "Hand over the items. Now!" shouted Angelo. "Like we'll listen to a kid like you!" said one of the thieves, swinging his knife in a threatening manner. "You asked for it!" Lunging towards his enemies a fierce battle commenced. The thieves dashed at Angelo and with one swing of the steel paddle, he caught one of the thieves. "Take this!" shouted Angelo and threw the thief onto another one. The two thieves were sent far off. "How'd he do that?" asked one of the other thieves, "he's just a damn kid!" Angelo swung his blade again and knocked another one of them down. He felt an evil sense of destruction with every swing of his sword, though he didn't mind it. And as he took them down, they retreated, leaving the items behind. The leader of the thieves had stood there, awestruck, after watching this young man's skill. Pointing his steel paddle towards him, Angelo glared at the remaining thief. "Give up, unless you want something else taken from you..." "H-here, just leave us alone!" whimpered the thief. "You've been warned. If I see you again, you won't get a second chance from me." he said and the thief darted away. Angelo gathered the stolen items. "Well, that was great," he said, "I never thought I'd pull something off li- AUGH!" Suddenly he started feeling a stabbing pain in his arm. He grimaced and grasped his right arm. A burning sensation had overcome him and a menacing purple glow was emanating from his right arm. Weakened by this strange force he collapsed. The pain suddenly stopped, and he slowly rose to his feet. "What the hell? Ugh! Whatever that was, it's not good." The pain quickly went away and he walked to the bags. "Those thieves came from over there, so where they came from isn't far," said Angelo, looking at the direction of where they thieves came from. Setting his steel paddle on his back, he carried the items

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He soon arrived at a small village. He had noticed some of the houses looked very different from what he expected. He noticed people seemed to be dressed differently as well. Angelo stopped in the middle of a street, as the people turned to look at him. "Are those our belongings?" Someone had asked in the crowd that began surrounding Angelo. "I suppose this village had items stolen," said Angelo. Most of the villagers noticed the bags of the stolen items and rejoiced. All the villagers thanked Angelo for recovering their items. He was rewarded with some gold coins. To show their gratitude, everyone agreed to prepare a feast for Angelo. Though he was now resting, the pain in his arm was still his main concern. "What was it that made my arm hurt...?" Thinking heavily about this, his concentration was broken by one of the villagers. "Honored guest, your feast is ready," said the villager. He walked towards the area where torches were lighting the area. He looked and saw the table with food all over it. "Just watching all of that food just makes me hungrier," he said. Angelo proceeded towards the table and sat down. The village chief then called him over. "Young and noble warrior, I thank you on behalf of the village for recovering our most valued possessions." said the village chief, smiling. "If I wasn't there, then none of your items would be here." he said, chuckling. The village chief observed the clothing Angelo was wearing. "Are you by any chance traveling?" he asked. "What makes you say that?" asked Angelo. "The clothing you wear... it tells that you're not from here." said the village chief. _That's right, these aren't even my clothes_, thought Angelo, "well, yes, I am traveling." "As a sign of gratitude, you can stay and rest here anytime." said the chief, smiling. "I really cannot thank you enough for this, sir." said Angelo, bowing at the chief. "The village's blacksmith will repair your blade tonight." he said, and the blacksmith walked to Angelo. "That's okay with me," said Angelo, as he handed the steel paddle to the blacksmith.

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The feast ended and everyone went back to their huts, but Angelo still felt uneasy about his arm pain and the energy he had felt during that time. He went into a small vacant hut and sat on the bed. One of the village women had seen him awake. She walked up to him. "Are you feeling alright?" asked the woman. "I guess. May I ask, what are you doing here?" The woman had sat down in front of him. "Do you mind if I come in?" she asked. Angelo nodded no and she walked in. _Wow, she's pretty_, he thought. "I saw what happened in the forest." she said. "Heh, those thieves, they were nothing." he said, chuckling. "But do you wonder about your arm?" she asked, and Angelo sat silent. "How do you know?" he asked nervously. "I saw the glow from your arm..." she said, "may I see you arm?" Angelo lifted the sleeve and the young woman felt his arm, as she felt some sort of feeling from it. "I feared it would be it," she said. Angelo wanted to know what was going on with his arm. "There is a legend about this known as Soul Edge..." she began. "Soul Edge?" Angelo asked. _No way... I can't be here..._ he thought. He realized where he ended up, but he decided to hear the story out to make sure. He pretended he didn't know. "Yes, you have a shard of Soul Edge in your arm," she said, feeling the area where Angelo began to feel slight pain. "But how did this happen?" he asked. "A warrior like you had obtained it somehow..." she said. "Huh, and the only way to remove it is the influence of Soul Calibur..." he said, almost letting it slip out. "Have you heard about the legend of the Sacred and Evil Swords?" she asked. "Yeah, I have." he said nodding. Telling the woman this, he now realized where he was now... in the world of Soul Calibur... In order to keep lying to this woman, he acted dumbstruck. "But you are not a traveler, are you...?" she said, with her tone of voice changing. "What do you know about me?" he asked. "Do not worry, your secret is well safe with me." she said, letting go of his arm. "Alright, but apparently I ended up here. I don't know how or why. I just did." he said looking out at the window. "I know the only way to get you back to where you belong." she said. "Tell me... How?" he asked as he stood up. "The warrior who wields Soul Calibur and the alchemist. Find them..." she said. _She must be talking about Siegfried and Ivy_, he thought. "Now get some rest for tomorrow morning..." she said as she stood up. "Before you go..." he began as the young woman stopped. "Yes?" she asked as she turned to him. "Thanks for keeping my secret and helping me with this." he said as he bowed to her. "That's alright." As the woman left, he still had an uneasy feeling about the Soul Edge shard in his arm. "What the hell? How'd I end up here? I really need to get home!" he began to freak out. He stopped and took deep breaths. "Okay, so I'm here. The lady said I need to look for Ivy and Siegfried," he whispered, "they're my ticket out of here, but what the hell is with the shard in my arm..." He lifted his sleeve and noticed a tiny diamond-shaped mark. "Okay so I get to look for those two, and then, I'm back home," he said as he looked out the window, "I know it won't be easy but I need to get home." With a journey to accomplish, he had now fallen asleep.

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The next morning, everyone had greeted Angelo with a warm morning. As the blacksmith handed him his steel paddle, Angelo now felt prepared for the journey that awaited him. And as everyone looked on, the village chief approached him... "Noble warrior, we hope all goes well on your travels." said the village chief. "Thank you, sir," said Angelo, smiling. The same woman who approached him at night walked up to him again. "Before you go, take this," she said and handed him a small box, with a scent of delicious food coming from it. "Thanks," he said and the young woman smiled. "If you're heading for the city I suggest you take the path heading north. You'll arrive in Greece." said the village chief as he turned to the path. "Thank you once again," said Angelo, "I will see you all again someday." Facing north, Angelo began walking but was stopped by the village chief once again. "Noble warrior, what is your name?" he asked. "My name?" Angelo stared ahead into the distance. They shared a long silence. Then with his weapon firmly in hand, he raised it into the air.

"My name... Is Leonsritt... Leonsritt, the warrior with the steel paddle"

Angelo, now Leonsritt, set his sword on his back and departed for Greece, where a journey full of comrades and enemies awaited him...

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_ End Note: Well, this is the end to the rewritten prologue. Like I said, I feel as if the story needed detail but it's the best as I can do to rewriting it. I do not own anything related to Soul Calibur, BANDAI NAMCO or other things. See you guys in the next chapter! Daisuke Haoru out!_


	2. Beginning of a Journey

Chapter 1 – Beginning of a Journey

Walking in the wilderness, a young man by the name of Leonsritt is traveling down the road, on a journey, accompanied only by his weapon, the steel paddle. Knowing that he has a shard of Soul Edge in his arm, he travels to find two people: Siegfried, wielder of the Sacred Sword, and Isabella Valentine, an alchemist widely known. He wonders about the shard and the influence it may have on him. "Man, I really need to get home," he said, "and I feel I've been walking for hours!" He then began to hear sounds of people and music. "I wonder, am I close?" he asked as he walked up the hill. As he neared, his stomach growled. "Ugh, I think I'm just gonna rest, and eat the food that lady gave me," he said. He sat down and enjoyed the food, chicken and bread, the lady gave him. He finished and stood up. Leonsritt slowly walked up the hill and looked at the land. He finally arrived in Greece. He reached the bottom of the hill and walked towards the streets. "Wow so this is old Greece, huh?" he said. He always wondered how it would be to travel to different places. As he walked, he heard a commotion about a tournament. Nearing a crowd of people he listens to one of the spokespeople. "Come one, come all! All who want to test their might can come and sign up to this tournament!" shouted one of them. _A tournament, huh? I guess I can sign up, and see how my sword skills are... _he thought. One of the spokespeople looked at Leonsritt. "You there! Are you looking to sign up to this tournament?" the person called out, pointing at him. A large crowd of people turned to him. "Sure!" he said, shrugging. Leonsritt had signed up to the tournament, and had prepared to test his skills. The tournament spokesperson escorted him to the preparation room. Walking in there, he had seen intimidating-looking fighters, some with flashy armor and others without armor as if they look like they can take anything. Thinking of fighting all these guys had made Leonsritt get fired up. "Leonsritt, please proceed to the platform." The spokesperson had led Leonsritt to the platform. As he waited, his first opponent had appeared in front of him. A semi-built man known as Gallant, armored and wielding a Zweihander, was his opponent. Leonsritt was ready to face this man. "You're goin' down, kid." he said, "a shrimp like you can't take me out." "Underestimating me, eh?" Leonsritt said as he firmly grasped his sword. _It's one guy, but I can't underestimate him either. He looks more skilled than I do, but by the way he talked he seems like the type to lose his cool easily_, he thought, _here goes nothing..._

"COME ON!"

And the audience went wild as both contestants started their assault. Leonsritt and Gallant's blades clashed as they tried to cut each other down. Leonsritt avoided each and every attack Gallant tried to land. "Come on, man, even my grandmother could get me," taunted Leonsritt. Gallant kept swinging his sword as leonsritt kicked him away. "You little bastard..." he growled as he lifted his Zweihander and slammed it to the ground. Minutes went by as the two felt exhaustion from moving everywhere. Gallant backed off as Leonsritt stabbed his sword on the ground. "Alright, Gallant. Let's make things more interesting." he said. "... You're insane. Raise your sword," sneered Gallant, as he gripped his blade. "Are you afraid to fight me?" said Leonsritt. _I don't think it's a good idea to keep taunting him, but they guy isn't as fast as I thought he'd be, but he sure knows his distance_, he thought, _let's see if I can knock him out in one go_. "Ugh..." Gallant refused to keep fighting as he saw Leonsritt in a fighting stance without his sword. "So what's it gonna be, Gallant?" asked Leonsritt, waiting for Gallant. "GRAAAHHHHHHHH!" angered, Gallant charged at Leonsritt with his Zweihander. "HAH!" Leonsritt grunted as he landed a punch towards his jaw, sending Gallant flying across the stage, and the audience in shock. The referee ran to Gallant and with him knocked out cold, Leonsritt had won the round.

"How'd I..."

His moment of thought was broken as the crowd cheered. The referre held his arm up, and the sense of victory overcame Leonsritt. Walking away victorious, he moved on to the second round. The day moved on and he ranked up on the tournament. Leonsritt had made it to the finals in no time. The losing contestants had left the tournament one by one. He felt great about being victorious, but the same uneasiness had overcome him, and once again his arm was in great pain. He saw that same ominous glow emanating from his arm. Grasping his arm, he had felt blood lust, like he needed it. Like he wanted to kill. But that feeling had gone away. Gasping for air, he rested from the painful experience.

"What's going on with me... This isn't good at all..."

Worried about the situation, Leonsritt had rested for a bit, and walked to the quarters the tournament holders had provided for the finalists. Leonsritt sat on the bed that was provided to him, and a teenage boy looked at Leonsritt. "Here's that one guy who knocked the other guy out with a single punch!" he shouted and a group of people gathered in his quarters. Leonsritt chuckled and began to talk with the people who suddenly became his fans. He had been telling people "stories" as the people looked at him in awe. Leonsritt's pain had calmed down now, and as the people had left him to rest, he was visited by a young woman. "Hello..." she said with a smile. He looked up and he noticed who it was. _Whoa! I never thought I'd see her_, he thought. His heart raced as the young blonde-haired woman smiled. _Play it cool, man_, he thought, "Hello, Cassandra." "How did you know my name?" she asked. _Crap, think, you idiot_, he thought and suddenly responded, "I, uh, I hear a lot of fan boys talk about you." Leonsritt had knowledge of this as he knew Cassandra pretty well. The baker's daughter of a famous bakery shop in Greece, Leonsritt had always wanted to meet her in person. _I can't believe she's right in front of me, but play it cool_, he thought. "Well, yeah, they do tend to look at me from the windows." she said in an annoyed tone. "W-well I can see why," he said. Cassandra felt flattered and she looked at the small tray. "Well here's some bread for you to enjoy," she said as she plaved the small tray next to him. She began to walk away. "Wait. Hold on." he said. Cassandra turned to Leonsritt. "I know it'll sound weird, but are you doing anything later on?" he asked. She thought and replied with a nod a no. "Um, is it okay if you can stay here? I mean, I have no intention of anything else, but we can eat this bread together," he said, _I screwed up_. "Sure, I'll be right back," she said with a smile and she walked away.

"..."

Leonsritt sat quietly. "YEAH!" he shouted as he jumped in joy. "I haven't felt this accomplished in a while!" he said with a big grin. He heard steps and Cassandra walked in with a bottle of milk. "You were the last person to deliver bread to, so you're lucky I'm having a break," she said, smiling. Enjoying the bread with Cassandra, Leonsritt told her about his journey, keeping out a few details. "I see. You were stranded here." she said, intrigued. "Yeah, so I ended up coming to Greece, and entered this tournament." said Leonsritt, as he took a bite out of the bread he held. "Ah, now that you mention it, I got a letter from Princess Hildegard von Krone." she said, showing him the letter. "The Princess of Wolfkrone Kingdom?" he asked. "Yes, you know her too?" she asked. "Where I come from, we hear stories from around the world," he lied, _considering the fact that I'm in the Soul Calibur world_. "Really?" she asked as she looked at him. "Yeah, pretty much," he said, _I'm starting to feel bad about lying to her..._ "You know it's getting late," she said and she stood up. "You're right. Gotta get some rest!" he said. "Good luck tomorrow," she turned and winked at him. She walked out and Leonsritt looked at the doorway. "I think I'm in love again..." said a lovestruck Leonsritt.

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Leonsritt had finally gotten a good night rest, thanks to Cassandra and her bread. The next morning he had woken up and trained with his steel paddle for the finals. Cassandra had gotten his attention when she greeted him with a warm good morning, yet she went on the run after her fan boy club started chasing her around. Leonsritt had chuckled a bit. Cassandra had ran towards Leonsritt and hid behind him. The fan boys had stopped in front of Leonsritt as he pointed his blade towards them. "Gentlemen... seriously... grow up..." he said, smirking. "Shut up! Get out of the way!" said one of the men. "Do I have to take care of ALL of you?" said Leonsritt as he lifted the blade, pointing it at the main person, the one who shouted at him. Preparing himself in his stance, the fan boys had backed off and left as Cassandra felt relieved. Leonsritt had lowered his blade and turned to Cassandra. "You okay?" he asked. "Yeah, I am. Thanks!" she smiled.

"Hey, anything for a pretty girl."

"What?"

"I said, 'anything for a friend'."

"I'm sure you said something else."

"No, I didn't."

Cassandra had left, waving goodbye and wished him good luck as she headed back to her bakery. Leonsritt had kept training for the upcoming match. The hours went by, and soon Leonsritt had been called to the stage for the finals. The crowd cheered wildly as Leonsritt raised his sword and swung it back down. The referee had stepped in to the stage and started his announcement. "Leonsritt, the finalist who awed everyone with his extraordinary skills will now face the champion, the final opponent." Leonsritt waited and saw a figure approaching. He noticed the opponent had carried a short sword and a small shield. Leonsritt had been surprised when he saw who his opponent really was...

"Cassandra?"

"Yeah, it's just you and me. So, you ready?"

"Huh, never expected to be you being my final opponent..."

Leonsritt, looking at his steel paddle, he looked at Cassandra. He pointed his blade at her, swung it at ready, and confident, he smiled at her.

"LET'S ROCK!"

And their blades clashed. Every swing was reflected by each hit their blades took. Dodging every attack, both Leonsritt and Cassandra backed off and stared at each other, trying to read each other's movements. Cassandra had quickly lunged at Leonsritt, as he swung his blade towards her. Leaving himself open Leonsritt felt something soft hit him, yet with great force, he was knocked down. "W... wow... so sooooooft and warm... wait a sec!" he said and quickly stood up. Cassandra giggled as he looked at her in confusion.

"Did you just hit me... with your butt?"

Cassandra had burst out in laughter. She had charged at him once more, but this time, Leonsritt had set his sword aside, and using his own skill of martial arts, he fought her barehanded as both had been taking hits from each other. Leonsritt had attacked Cassandra using his palms. As Cassandra had fallen on her knees, Leonsritt had picked up his blade and walked towards her. Cassandra, thinking she was about to be executed, saw his blade rise in the air. She closed her eyes, as she waited for the worst to happen. But she opened her eyes, seeing Leonsritt stretching his hand at her. She held his hand and helped her up as the referee ran towards him. "What are you doing?" asked the referee. "What do you mean? I'm helping her up. She can't go on." he said as he picked her up. "Since you're the winner, the loser has to be executed," said the referee. "YOU want ME to execute HER in front of EVERYONE? What are you, insane?" shouted Leonsritt. "Those are the rules of this tournament." said the referee. Cassandra looked up at the referee. "What? But why?" she shouted in anger. Leonsritt had burst out in laughter as the referee had looked at him, "I don't play by your so-called 'rules'." Another man walked up to the ring and stepped in. "How dare you defy the rules of this tournament?" said the man. "You must be the guy who handles this whole thing, huh?" said Leonsritt, "in that case..." The manager of the tournament was suddenly slammed down. "No one's going to die here, not while I'm around. Got it?" shouted Leonsritt. The man whimpered in fear as he let go of him and picked up a weakened Cassandra. The referee had suddenly shouted. "Leonsritt is the winner!" Leonsritt carried her out of the stage. The audience had cheered, but Leonsritt didn't care.

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Cassandra looked at Leonsritt, as he walked to her bakery. He walked in there and Cassandra's father had seen her resting on Leonsritt's arms. Her father had led him to Cassandra's room, and Leonsritt placed her on her bed. "Sorry if I went a little rough on you," he said. "Don't worry about it. I haven't had a good fight in ages," said Cassandra, smiling "I'm really sorry, though." he said, feeling bad. "It's okay. Besides, this is why I entered the tournament, but I never expected the tournament to have that rule this year," she said concerned. "Hmm. Does it also have to do with the letter that Princess Hilde sent you?" he wondered. "Yeah," she replied, "I was thinking of asking you if you wanted to travel with me, seeing how Hilde requests my help and I need someone to travel with." "Sure, if you don't mind," he said, smiling, "just take a rest for today." As he turned around and started walking towards the exit, Cassandra had stopped him. "You... don't have anywhere to sleep tonight... do you?" she asked. "No... but I can deal," Leonsritt said and smiled at her, and headed towards the door but Cassandra stopped him once again. "If you want you can rest here," she said. "You don't mind?" he asked. "No. After all you did help me out there," she said smiling. Leonsritt had sat down and talked to Cassandra about how he helped the village he arrived at before reaching Greece. Though he didn't mention anything about the Soul Edge shard in his arm, he had let Cassandra rest. "You rest well, Cassandra," he said and fell asleep.

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Leonsritt woke up with a stabbing pain in his arm. Leonsritt let out a piercing roar, as Cassandra woke up in surprise and saw Leonsritt on the ground. She had gotten up to help and noticed his arm showed a menacing purple glow. Cassandra had noticed Leonsritt was whispering something. "Kill... I must kill... Ugh..." he said. "Leonsritt! Leonsritt!" she shouted. "Your soul... is mi- AUGH! Get... away!" Leonsritt had fought this murderous intent. Cassandra had seen Leonsritt's face as if she was seeing a demon possessing him. She noticed fangs on him, as well as his eyes had turned gray. Leonsritt kept struggling against the force of the Soul Edge shard. He felt it finally calming down, and gasped for air. As he started losing consciousness he noticed Cassandra holding him. Cassandra had tried getting Leonsritt to wake up again, but she failed...

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Leonsritt had woken up in a bed. Looking around, he noticed Cassandra had been sitting next to the bed. She woke up to see Leonsritt okay. "Ugh... What happened...?" he asked. "You... have a Soul Edge shard... in you... don't you?" she asked in a tone that concerned Leonsritt. He sat quiet. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked as she looked at him. "Because... If I told you... you probably would have gotten against me..." he said, "look, I'm so-" "Now that I know that... You and I are leaving to Wolfkrone Kingdom right now." she said and she stood up. "Okay... but please, don't be angry at me..." Leonsritt felt pretty bad after not telling Cassandra about the shard in his arm. But she walked up to him and held his hand. Leonsritt had felt a little weird about this, but he didn't mind. Cassandra seemed concerned about this and agreed to help Leonsritt to find a way to remove that shard. Cassandra readied herself as did Leonsritt himself prepared his equipment. Walking out of the bakery, Leonsritt and Cassandra had started walking out of Greece. Leonsritt had been looking at his arm and now noticed a purple marking. Cassandra had seen it and looked at Leonsritt. "If you're angry at me, I'm sorry..." he said, looking down. "I'm not mad, you know. It's just..." she began. "What...?" he asked. "The shard... how'd you get it...?" she wondered. "I... I don't know..." he answered.

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Leonsritt kept wondering how he ended up with the shard... Yet, now he travels with Cassandra as a companion, with her goal of helping him with the removal of the shard. Now outside of Greece, Leonsritt and Cassandra now head to Wolfkrone Kingdom, but with the shard in him, he thinks to himself of what danger he could be to himself and Cassandra. "Are you alright, Leonsritt?" she asked, as she stopped him in his tracks. "Y-yeah. I am..." he said, trying to smile. "But I'm still concerned." she said as she looked at his arm. "I'll deal..." he assured her. "don't worry... I'll be fine! Besides, since we're on a journey, you never know, I'll probably learn to keep its power at bay, so let's go. We've gotta head to Wolfkrone Kingdom!" "Yeah!" she said.

And so Leonsritt and Cassandra head toward the next location: Wolfkrone Kingdom.


	3. Devil Inside

Chapter 2 - Devil Inside

It's been days since Leonsritt left Greece, now accompanied by Cassandra, both on their way to Wolfkrone Kingdom. What now became Cassandra's concern is the marking that started appearing on Leonsritt's right arm. Leonsritt had thought to himself if the marking on his arm would mean if time is running out before he's consumed by Soul Edge. Nighttime had come and both travelers found a resting spot. "It's not the best place but it's still an open area, no?" asked Leonsritt. "Cassandra nodded yes. "We're also near the river too," he pointed out. Leonsritt and Cassandra set up everything, and all that was left was food. "Hey, Cassandra. What do we eat tonight?" he asked. She crossed her arms and thought. "I don't know, you have any suggestions?" she asked back. "I do, but you won't like any of them. I mean, we ARE out in the wilderness," he said, looking around. "Ohh... eww!" she said in disgust. "Yeah, that's what I thought," he chuckled. "Um we don't really have to eat wild things, do we?" she asked as she felt a shiver down her spine. "Hey, if you wanna survive out in the wild, then yes. So I'm gonna go hunt for some food," he said, smiling. "Knock yourself out..." she replied.

* * *

><p>Leonsritt had gone out to hunt himself something to eat. Cassandra had been sitting around the campfire, resting. As Leonsritt had started looking for something to kill, he spotted a wild chicken. Slowly, Leonsritt snuck up quietly towards it, without hesitation. He pounced on the chicken, only to miss. Leonsritt had started chasing the chicken. As he ran, he had tried knocking his steel paddle towards the chicken, and missed. After an hour of chasing, he gave up on it and walked back to the resting spot, only to find out Cassandra had gone missing. Wondering and looking around the spot, even on the trees, she was nowhere to be found. Leonsritt had then heard humming coming from somewhere. "Is that...?" he asked, as he heard the melody. He followed the humming from where it was coming from. As he crossed the bushes and trees, he saw a glimmering light coming from the direction he was walking to. The closer he got, the brighter, and he arrived at a lake, with the moonlight reflecting on the water. Leonsritt had seen someone on the water. Apparently, it was Cassandra bathing in there. <em>W... wow<em>, he thought, _I... this is... her... I never thought she'd look so... beautiful_. Leonsritt fell entranced as he kept looking at the young woman, bathing. He slowly began to raise his hand, as if he were to reach to her. _What... is this I feel...?_ he asked himself. He took a step forward and noticed her body gave a shimmering light off her skin. _I... want to..._ he kept thinking until...

**SNAP!**

Leonsritt stepped on a small branch. Cassandra heard the sound and turned around to look at Leonsritt staring at her. Both had an awkward moment of silence, and after they realized what just happened...

"I'M SORRY!"

"YOU PERVERT!"

Cassandra had chucked her shield at Leonsritt, while he ran. The shield had hit him, but he kept on running. Leonsritt had looked back to see if Cassandra had chased him, but he hit something and fell back. "Ugh... what the..." he grunted in pain, as he stood up and looked in front of him. What he hit wasn't a tree. It was something like if he hit a person. He shook his head, and realized he didn't hit a tree, but someone big...

"You bastard... Do you have a death wish...?"

"Uhh... no?"

Leonsritt had noticed who this was, as this giant stood up and grabbed his hammer. Leonsritt ran back the way he came. "What the hell! I got him on my back now!" he shouted. Dashing, he didn't care anymore about Cassandra and the embarrassing moment they had, as the giant was chasing him. Reaching the lake again, Leonsritt ran towards Cassandra, now clothed again, picked her up and ran even faster.

"YOU PERVERT! LET ME GO!"

"RUN NOW, TALK LATER!"

* * *

><p>Back at the campsite, he rested for a bit, letting Cassandra down, and sat down. "Look, I'm sorry if I saw you naked at the lake but you weren't here, so I decided to look for you and thanks to you I was chased down by Astaroth!" he said, trying to catch some air. "Astaroth!" she asked. He was about to answer until something had landed in front of them, causing the ground to shake. It had been Astaroth. Looking at Leonsritt, he had grabbed him by the throat, choking him.<p>

"You're my dinner now! Your soul is MINE!"

"Guh... not on... my watch..."

Cassandra had jumped to try and have Astaroth release Leonsritt, but he had swung his arm at her causing her to hit a tree and get knocked out. Leonsritt had grabbed his sword and swung it at Astaroth's arm, letting Leonsritt go. He dashed towards Cassandra to see if she was okay, but Astaroth had put his hammer in the way, blocking Leonsritt away from her. Turning around, Leonsritt had nowhere else to run. "Alright. You want me? Well, come and get it!" he said as he gripped his blade.

"Don't expect a quick death, you worm!"

Astaroth had punched the ground, and Leonsritt had dodged the giant's attack, had suddenly felt the force of the hammer against him and had been knocked down. Astaroth had grabbed him from his legs and tossed him in the air, ready to strike him with the hammer. Leonsritt's back landed on the striking point and was on the ground. Coughing up blood, Leonsritt had stood up, and Astaroth knocked him down once more and picked him up. "Time to devour that soul of yours, along with that Soul Edge shard you have!" he said, laughing. Leonsritt was doomed, but he had felt that stabbing pain in his arm again. "AUGH! GUH! GUHUHAHAHAHAHAHA!", Leonsritt's painful howls became maniacal laughter. Astaroth had felt something immense from Leonsritt, that he felt his grip was loosening. "What is this?" he asked, as Leonsritt began to open the giant's hand. "You... you shouldn't expect a quick death from me... you insignificant being..." said Leonsritt as he had broken free from Astaroth. Cassandra had woken up and saw him with his back slumped, breathing heavily. His fangs had been showing, and his eyes gray, just as she saw before. The influence of the shard had changed him into a demon. Astaroth felt the power of Soul Edge flowing through Leonsritt. "Astaroth... I'll devour... YOUR SOUL!" he roared. Leonsritt lunged at Astaroth with great speed, as he tried to attack Leonsritt. He attacked Astaroth and had knocked him down. Leonsritt stomped him and had started whacking Astaroth with his bare hands, letting out a cynical laugh for every hit he gave. Blood was now coming out of Astaroth as Leonsritt kept beating him. Cassandra looked in horror as Leonsritt kept laughing. "This is your end..." said Leonsritt, giving a sickening grin and raised his hand, ready to pierce Astaroth's chest. Cassandra ran and pulled him off the unconscious giant. Leonsritt was on the floor with Cassandra on him. He struggled to get Cassandra off him as she tried to get him back to normal.

"Let me go! I'm not done with him!"

"STOP IT ALREADY!"

"GET OFF ME!"

"STOP! PLEASE JUST STOP! Stop..."

Cassandra was begging him to stop, and had tears running down and landed on Leonsritt's face. As every tear landed, he seemed to calm down. His squirming stopped and he noticed her crying. He placed his hand on her face as she noticed him back to normal. She smiled and he blacked out.

"Leonsritt? LEONSRITT!"

Cassandra had held him tight. Leonsritt was knocked out as she cried loudly. Astaroth had awakened from his unconscious state, and walked away simply ignoring both Cassandra and Leonsritt. She placed Leonsritt's head on her lap as she fell asleep.

* * *

><p>"...DEATH!"<p>

Leonsritt's eyes opened and he stood up, yet fell to the ground. "Ow... my back..." he said. He looked around. It was daylight and suddenly realized Cassandra was missing. "Oh... oh, no..." he began to well up but turned to see Cassandra asleep. "Hah... I thought I lost you for a sec..." he said, relieved. He looked around and grabbed a blanket, placing it on Cassandra. Minutes later, Cassandra had woken up, seeing Leonsritt had gone missing. Cassandra had started looking for him. She headed towards the lake to see if he was there, but didn't find him there. She kept looking for him until she found a hot spring. Leonsritt was resting there. "Aw, man, if it wasn't for that other traveler, I wouldn't have been relieved from my back pain," he said, "still..." He thought of last night's event but his train of thought was broken as Cassandra walked in the spring. "Hey!" she greeted. "Um, hi," he said nervously as she stepped in with only her undergarments. _Wow... she just walks in like that... I have to admit, she's hot but... w-wait a sec, I can't be thinking of that!_ he thought, "I guess I should head back to the camping site then. Sorry I didn't tell you." "It's fine. Besides, now that I found you in this hot spring, I think I'll join you!" she said, smiling. "I'll get out right now," he said nervously, moving away from Cassandra. "No, it's okay, just stay in there." she said, getting closer to him. "Um, no really. I feel weird with a girl in here," he said, moving away. "Oh, don't worry, I'm not going to bite you," she said, moving even closer and giving a sly smile. "I think I'll be on the opposite side, then." he said moving to the other side of the hot spring. "Come on, just deal with it." she said, following him. "No, seriously, I'm okay where I am." he said. The closer Cassandra got to Leonsritt, the farther he was getting from her. He really felt uncomfortable with Cassandra in the hot spring. _This is just too much for me..._ he thought, whimpering. Cassandra couldn't help but laugh at Leonsritt for his expression. _What's up with her?_ he wondered, _we've only known each other for a few days and she's being like this?_ He ignored his thoughts and instead though of it as a friendly gesture. They both had enjoyed the hot spring for awhile until he brought up last night's event. "Look... about last night... I don't know how to explain it..." he said, looking down. "It's... it's alright..." she said, trying to smile. "But it's not alright. You saw what I did... the marking is spreading on my arm a lot more." he said showing the mark had slightly grown in size. "Yeah, but you have to fight it." she said. "I know, I know. It's just that... How can I control it...?" he asked as he splashed water on his face. "There's just gotta be a way to learn how to control this power..." she said, thinking about it, "I have an idea..." Cassandra had stepped out of the hot spring and changed. She turned around and signaled Leonsritt to follow her. He immediately changed into his clothing and followed Cassandra.

* * *

><p>Arriving at the campsite, she picked up her weapon and had told Leonsritt to get his. Leonsritt had followed Cassandra once more to a widely open area. As they both had been standing in a distance from each other, Cassandra had readied herself. "Alright, Leonsritt. You ready?" she asked, standing ready. "Um, you know we don't have to do this." he said staring at her. "It's probably the only way I can help you, though." she said, reassuring him. "But fight with you? I didn't wanna do that in the tournament, but you were my opponent. I had no choice..." he said looking down once again. "But you have no choice either here..." she said. A small gust of wind blew as the two stood. Cassandra had charged at Leonsritt, but he did nothing to attack her. Instead, he decided to go on the defensive, As Cassandra attacked relentlessly, Leonsritt had struggled to keep her at bay. She kept attacking him, and as he had let his guard down, he had received a kick to the gut. Leonsritt had felt that power starting to take effect, little by little. He didn't want to fight the girl that was accompanying on his way to Wolfkrone Kingdom, but Cassandra's assault had gotten the best of him. He felt a knee to the face and landed on his back. "AUGH!" he yelped in pain. <em>My back's still weak from that hit<em>, he thought. He stood up but fell to his knees. The surge of energy began to overflow on to him. "Cassandra, get away... NOW!" he shouted but Cassandra ignored him. He had felt this power overflowing. Leonsritt had let out a roar. Standing, he had looked at Cassandra. She knew that this wasn't Leonsritt anymore. It was the other one, the demon Leonsritt. "Leonsritt, fight it. FIGHT IT!" she called out. The demon glared at her.

"YOU BITCH! YOU WILL SUFFER!"

Cassandra had gone all out on the demon. Leonsritt had attacked her, but she was way too quick for the demon to lay a hand on her. She kicked him down several times to the ground but he quickly recovered. "You've got to fight it!" she cried. Leonsritt had been holding her off. As Cassandra had yelled at him, he didn't respond...

* * *

><p>Deep inside darkness, Leonsritt had awoken in a strange place. He had seen nothing but darkness all around him. As he looked and looked, he saw Cassandra far away. He ran towards her, but the closer he got, the more faint she appeared, until nothing was there. He had been thinking where he was at, until he saw himself, a reflection. But that reflection began to walk towards him. "What the...?" he shouted and jumped back. "Well, well, well. The weakling finally wakes up... So how are you enjoying the stay in this place while I fight your girlfriend... entertaining isn't it?" he asked. "What are you talking about?" he asked but blushed at the word girlfriend. "I know what you think, what you feel, what you see... I AM YOU..." said the reflection, "After all, I may have fun with your girlfriend when I'm done with her..." Leonsritt glared at him, "you leave her out of this! She is not my girlfriend..." The reflection appeared in front of Leonsritt and slammed him to the ground. "Don't be such a fool..." said the reflection, "I know you hold this person dear... I'd like to see you suffer along with her..."<p>

"SHUT UP!"

Leonsritt and the reflection charged at each other. Both of them attacked each other identically, and Leonsritt was getting worn out. On and on the battle raged. No matter what attack Leonsritt made, it was countered by the same attack he performed. He was fighting his own reflection. Starting to feel exhausted, Leonsritt moved on to the defensive, but his own shadow kept on with the assault of attacks. Dark Leonsritt laughed as he saw Leonsritt falling to his knees. "You're giving up already? Don't make me laugh..." he said, grinning. "Who... ever said I... was giving up...?" he said, struggling to get on his feet. "You seem really tired... Maybe I should put you out of your misery..." said the shadow as he lifted his blade, ready to slam it down and slice Leonsritt in half, "let me see you suffer...". Leonsritt looked up as he saw his dark self lift the blade.

"NOW YOU DIE!"

Dark Leonsritt slammed the blade, but had struggled to push the blade down. Leonsritt stopped the blade with his hands... "You... aren't taking me down... not now... not ever... you... won't take over... my BODY!" shouted Leonsritt, pushed the blade away, and attacked his dark self. Though he knew that his own techniques wouldn't work, he had used his own physical attacks combining them with his blade attacks. His dark self was tiring out due to the assault Leonsritt dealt. Both had tired out but Leonsritt wasn't gonna give up. He charged at Dark Leonsritt and had sliced him in half, and Leonsritt collapsed on his knees. "You can never kill me... You know I exist inside you..." he said grinning. "But I ain't letting you take over me..." he said as he turned to the fading reflection. The reflection walked to Leonsritt and placed his hand on Leonsritt's shoulder, leaning towards his ear. "We'll see about that..." he whispered, and the reflection faded away. A bright light overcame the area Leonsritt was in...

* * *

><p>Cassandra was too worn out to keep fighting. Leonsritt had kept attacking until she let her guard down. Landing a hit on her gut, she landed on the ground and Leonsritt got on her, ready to attack a defenseless Cassandra. With all hope lost, she had closed her eyes, ready to accept death. Leonsritt had readied his hand to pierce her heart. A moment of silence had passed and Cassandra had opened her eyes, looking at Leonsritt. Leonsritt was back to normal. Leonsritt had picked her up from the ground and, with her items, he walked back to the campsite. "Cassandra, take a rest, and if I caused any damage to you, I'm deeply sorry..." he said. "It's... okay..." she said, weakly. Leonsritt let Cassandra down on a soft patch of grass near a tree. "Leonsritt... thank you... for taking me here..." she said weakly, but smiled. "Just take a rest, you'll be fine," he said. Cassandra had fallen asleep, while Leonsritt had placed a warm blanket over her. From the bag of items, he took out a pot and quickly fetched water for Cassandra. He placed the pot next to her as he sat next to her. "Man, I overdid it, but how did I if I had no control over the power of Soul Edge?" he wondered. As it got dark, Leonsritt had cooked something and noticed Cassandra waking up. "You feeling better?" he asked her as he smiled. "Yeah, just a little..." she said, and Leonsritt noticed her wince in pain. "Don't struggle to get up..." he said as he helped her sit. He walked to the campfire and looked at the pot. Cassandra looked at him, as he served what was in the pot. <em>Wow... I never thought Leo could be a guy this nice<em>, she thought, _I think I..._ Her thoughts were interrupted as he walked to her with a bowl. "Here, eat this..." he said. He had made some chicken broth for both of them. They were eating as they looked at the night sky. "Cassandra... Thanks for helping me with this... I really appreciate it!" he said. She smiled back and she took a spoonful of broth. "Leonsritt... I wanted to ask you something..." she said, blushing. He turned to her. "Yeah?" he asked. She quickly changed her mind. "... Forget it..." she said, smiling. The two looked at the night sky. _This looks a lot better here than in the real world_, he thought, as he looked at the sky. The two finished and Cassandra yawned. "Let's get some rest. We still need to get to Wolfkrone Kingdom soon." he said as he took the bowls. She laid down but Leonsritt sat next to her. "You're not getting any rest are you?" she asked. "I'll be on guard. Don't worry about me," he said.

* * *

><p>Casandra had fallen asleep. Leonsritt had been standing for an hour, just guarding Cassandra. Yet he thought about her. He thought deeply about her, if it would be possible for him to stay here. He knew deep down he slowly started to have feelings for her. He turned and looked at a sleeping Cassandra. He saw how cute she looked when she slept. "Hm?" he turned to see a dagger heading straight towards him. Leonsritt blocked the incoming attack, and the intruder turned out to be none other than Taki. "Well, well. Not bad," said the kunoichi. "What do you want, Taki?" he asked. "So you know of me?" she asked. "That isn't the problem right now. What do you want?" he asked as he glared at her. "You would've been someone easy to steal from, but you're a lot better than I thought," she said. "Stealing, huh?" asked Leonsritt as he readied his blade, but Taki had put her weapons away. "You seem like a worthy opponent, but not now," she said. "What do you mean?" he asked. "You and I will fight some other day. Right now you seem to be taking care of that young woman right there," she pointed, and Leonsritt turned to see Cassandra still sleeping, but when he turned to Taki, she had already disappeared. He still stood there, guarding Cassandra. After that little intrusion, Leonsritt knew he would see Taki once again.<p>

* * *

><p>Cassandra had woken up, only to find Leonsritt missing again, but this time, he had left his blade near her. Cassandra heard Leonsritt from a distance, grunting, as if he was fighting. She got up and followed his voice, and had found him practicing on a tree. She hid behind a tree to see what he was doing. Leonsritt punched and kicked with all of his might. She noticed that Leonsritt was starting to get worn out of this, but he kept going. Cassandra had headed back to the campsite, thinking of him and what he was practicing for. She sat down for a moment and prepared her items to finally leave and move on to the next destination but not without Leonsritt. Leonsritt had come back, and noticed Cassandra waiting for him. "You ready to leave?" he asked. She replied with a nod. "Alright, let's go!" he said and began walking down a visible path. As the two walked, he noticed Cassandra blushing. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked. "Yeah! Yeah, I'm fine." she said, smiling. "Well, just wondering," he said, <em>weird<em>. "I know from this path, we should arrive at a small village." said Cassandra. As she pointed in the direction. "Let's go, then," he said. Leonsritt had walked behind Cassandra, yet he was still weirded out. One thing was still in mind: a battle against Taki. But, why him? He pondered that question, but kept walking. Cassandra seemed pretty happy about today, yet it still was strange for Leonsritt. Leaving that out of his mind, they walked towards the next village.


	4. EX1 Angel's Blossoming Heart

_Author's Note: Daisuke Haoru here once again. Surprised to see an EX Chapter in between? Allow me to explain. The EX Chapters you will read during this story will be fillers bu also may have trigger events for the following chapters. I did say I would rewrite this story, and the EX chapters will go further into the story or will just be there for other off-story events. please, do leave your comments and reviews on how is the story! _

EX Chapter 1 – Angel's Blossoming Heart

Another day had ended and begun once again for our two heroes, Leonsritt and Cassandra. They walked down a visible path towards a small village. "How much farther before we reach the next village?" asked Leonsritt. "Just a little more, and we're there," she replied, smiling. Cassandra looked at Leonsritt as he concentrated and began whistling. "What are you whistling?" she asked, curious about the melody. "What, the song I'm whistling?" he asked, "We're in the forest, so I'm whistling 'Saria's Song'." "Saria? Is she someone famous?" asked Cassandra. _Urk, I forgot, this is Soul Calibur I'm in..._ he thought, "um... yeah... She's a person who lives in the forest..." "Wow, and did someone come up with the song?" she asked, even more curious. "Yeah, but it was a long time ago," he replied. "your music must be totally different from where you're from," she said. "Yeah it is..." he said, _God, I really am a loser... Good thing she doesn't know about these things..._ Cassandra had slowed her pace a bit. "One question..." she said. "Hm?" he turned to her, wondering. "Do you... have... anyone... you know..." she said, "um... well... special?" Leonsritt turned to look at the path. "Um... no..." he replied, biting his lip. "Why, if you're such a really good guy," she said. Leonsritt felt flattered about the comment. "Well, girls where I come from are different..." he said, _Great, she's asking me this..._ Cassandra face brightened and she walked closely to Leonsritt. "We're here, I suppose," he said, but the village seemed destroyed. There were screams and shouts heard. "Come on!" shouted Leonsritt. Thieves were running out with bags of items. "What the... these guys, again?" he said and the thieves recognized him. One of them began to run from the scene. "Not on my watch!" shouted Leonsritt and he swung and threw his steel paddle towards the thief, knocking him down. "Cassandra, go check the other houses, and make sure the thieves, don't get away." he ordered. She nodded and ran into the nearest house. More of the bandits appeared and began to attack Leonsritt, only to be defeated. "Anyone else wanna take me on?" he asked.

"NOT SO FAST!"

A shout was heard from behind. He turned to see the leader of the band of thieves hold Cassandra hostage. "So you're that brat who spoiled our plans are you?" he asked, "But you brought us a REALLY nice treasure..." "You son of a bitch! LET HER GO!" shouted Leonsritt, gritting his teeth. The leader licked the knife he held and slowly slid it down her body. "Now now, you don't want me to cause any bloodshed, now do you?" asked the leader. Cassandra quickly flipped the leader to the ground and stomped him. Leonsritt gripped the steel paddle tightly and picked him up, throwing him into the air. "Get out of my sight!" he said and with a mighty swing of the blade he struck the leader, with bones cracking and blood spewing out, sent him flying high into the sky. The lackeys surrounding the warrior were glared at, as fear struck them. "Who wants next..." growled Leonsritt and the rest ran. The village was quiet and Cassandra ran to Leonsritt. "Are you okay?" he asked, suddenly embracing her. Cassandra was frozen at the gesture. _Wait... what am I doing?_ he thought. He slowly backed away and looked at Cassandra, "Um, sorry... impulse..." he said chuckling nervously. A villager came out and looked at the two. "We are saved!" he shouted and more villagers came out, nearing towards the two. The crowd began cheering and the two smiled. Cassandra looked at Leonsritt and blushed. Leonsritt and Cassandra looked around and saw that some of the houses were destroyed by the bandits. "Man, those jerks really did a number," he said, "you all don't mind if we lend a hand to fix this mess, do you?" The villagers agreed to Leonsritt's plan.

* * *

><p>Cassandra was helping another villager in the roof, patching it with material, as Leonsritt, fixed the door. <em>I wonder... will Leonsritt act quickly if he saw me fall?<em> she wondered, and she moved to the side where Leonsritt was. She fell and screamed, and Leonsritt saw. "CASSANDRA!" he shouted and dashed to her, catching her. "Phew, that was close!" he said. Cassandra blushed as she looked at Leonsritt. "You okay?" he asked. Cassandra nodded yes. He set her on the ground standing and patted her on her head. "Be careful. We have an important thing to do," he said smiling and walked back to the door. Cassandra stood looking at him. _W... wow... _she thought as his touch was still on her body.

* * *

><p>It was almost nighttime and Cassandra was in a small hut. Leonsritt walked in and placed himself near the entrance. "Hey," she called out. Leonsritt turned to her. "Yeah?" he asked. "Thanks, for saving me," she said. "Like I said, you gotta be careful," he replied and smiled, "but no problem. It's a good thing we helped with all that fixing, huh?" "Yeah..." she answered. Cassandra looked at him and asked him once again, "Do you have someone special?" Leonsritt looked out the doorway, sighing. "Well, yeah, I did..." he began, "but I guess I just wasn't enough..." Cassandra looked at Leonsritt, and noticed a melancholy look on him. "She... liked someone else," he continued, "no matter how long it took me to bring up my courage to tell her, it wasn't enough..." Cassandra turned to the window. "It was a long time ago, though. Now, I guess I like someone else..." he said. Cassandra looked at Leonsritt, deep down she felt crushed. "But whatever, it'll go bad anyway, so I don't really look forward to it," he said and walked out the doorway. "You're gonna stand guard again?" she asked. "Well, yeah. Why not?" he asked, "you go and sleep, I'll be fine." "Oh... okay..." she said.<p>

_Sorry, Cassandra. I wish I could tell you I like you, but I feel it can't be..._


	5. A Little Too Fast

_Author's Note: Daisuke Haoru here, with just a few words to say: You have been WARNED ahead of time because I extended a certain scene here, and let's hope it doesn't get me banned. and I DID warn you too. I'm just saying._

Chapter 3 – A Little Too Fast

It's been almost two weeks since Cassandra and Leonsritt left Greece. Our heroes have been training on the way to Wolfkrone Kingdom. They had stopped at a nearby village and took a rest during the time they had walked. Though now that Leonsritt has started to learn how to maintain the power of the Soul Edge shard in his arm, he still notices everything weird, especially with what goes on with Cassandra.

* * *

><p><em>Seriously, this looks like it's coming from a movie, but a girl can't fall for a guy like me. It been almost two weeks or so. Nah, pretty much doubt it... <em> he thought. "What's on your mind, Leonsritt?" she asked as he looked at him. "Huh? Oh, nothing..." he said, giving a false smile. Cassandra had noticed something was making him fell uneasy. "Are you sure?" she asked, putting her hand against his forehead. "Uh, yeah, don't worry about it..." he said. Though he still recalls the challenge from Taki, the ninja. Leonsritt wasn't sure about taking her on, one on one. He stopped and rested near a tree, sitting down under the shade. "We'll rest here now. Come on, sit down," he said, sitting down leaning against the tree. "Are you sure you don't wanna keep on going?" she asked. "I'm kinda tired, and besides, you seem pretty tired as well," he said. "Alright. I'll set everything up then." she said. Leonsritt had helped Cassandra set for tonight. Luckily, there was a river nearby, and Leonsritt had gone to hunt some fish, as for Cassandra, she ended up bathing somewhere away from where Leonsritt was. His mind was clouded with thoughts and doubts. _Seriously, now that I think about it, why did I end up here? I know I always wanted to explore a world like this. So why now? _he thought. Leonsritt still had many questions he wanted an answer for. _And there is absolutely NO WAY Cassandra can fall for me. She's got other _tastes, he thought, _How can she even cry because of me like that? It's not like she cares for me... does she? _His mind was now filled with doubt. He had brought fish back and started a fire to cook them. Cassandra hadn't come back, so he set himself to cook the fish. He though about the few days that went by, but he still had doubts about this. Why him, of all people? he thought, but it seemed there was no answer to that question. _Well, I like Cassandra, too. But to fall for her? I can't do that. She's way out of my league. She doesn't exist. She's just a character from a game I like to play. Wait... why am I thinking of this...? W-whatever, I'll just eat..._ he frantically thought. Leonsritt had started eating, and Cassandra had returned from the river. "You're eating without me?" she said, with a pout face. "Hey, you took too long, you know," he said, pointing out. "Well, at least, you should tell me when food's ready," she said, crossing her arms and smiling. "What? There is NO WAY I'm gonna tell you straightforward food's ready while you're naked," he said while biting down on his fried fish. "Yeah, you can," she said, leaning towards him. "What happened last time? Remember you threw your shield at me for that?" he asked rubbing the spot on his head where the shield hit. Cassandra laughed, and so did Leonsritt. Eating their fried fish, they had conversed about what they'll see at Wolfkrone Kingdom. Leonsritt had finished eating and Cassandra had still hers to finish.

"I'm gonna bathe, so I'll be right back."

"Yeah, go on."

Leonsritt headed to the river, and had been in there for a good 30 minutes, just thinking about the doubts he's had in mind. It was so restless about these doubts that bothered him so much that he lost track of time. He had finished bathing in the river, changed and headed back to the campsite. As he arrived, he found Cassandra, still awake, looking at the campfire. He sat next to her.

"So are you still anxious about arriving to Wolfkrone Kingdom, huh?"

"Yeah, I... am..."

Cassandra had yawned, and fell asleep. Leonsritt had noticed her lean on his shoulder. Leonsritt was a little nervous because of this, but he put her on her bed. Leonsritt had looked at a sleeping Cassandra, but still denying the facts about his feelings for her. He turned around, and found Taki standing a few feet in front of him. "Taki... so you're ready, I suppose?" he asked gripping his blade, prepared. "Let's see what you got..." she said, standing in her own stance.

"Bring it on!"

Both warriors dashed at each other. Taki had delivered the first blow to the gut, as Leonsritt had grabbed her the moment she hit him. Though Leonsritt threw her to the ground, she vanished. Taki had countered with a downward punch but Leonsritt had blocked it in time. Leonsritt had swung his sword upward, and had caught Taki off-guard with his attack, allowing him to get in a few hits. Taki had grabbed him and tossed him in the air, only to slam him down to the ground. Leonsritt had gotten up and picked Taki up with his blade and knocked her down. Both battled fiercely until Taki had knocked Leonsritt down. Tired, he had started assuming in to his demon form, drawing power from the Soul Edge shard. "I see you're using the power of Soul Edge," she said. "This might come in handy then, won't it?" he asked, _I hope I don't overdo it._

"Then come at me!"

Both had fought relentlessly, as Taki had been attacking with more aggressiveness. Leonsritt had started to tire out, but Taki had kept attacking without fear, without hesitation. At last, Taki knocked him down, and she landed on him. Reverted to his normal self, Leonsritt had been pinned down. Taki placed herself on him, as Leonsritt had tried shaking her off.

"Taki, seriously, you win! Now get off me!"

Taki had gotten off, and Leonsritt felt relieved about this. Taki had stood up and looked at Leonsritt. "Though you lost to me, you have potential in handling a sword," she said, standing in a normal position. "Well, I wouldn't really say that," he said, scratching his head. "You need to train a lot more. Honing your skills in sword arts will have you prepared for many hard battles along your way, " she said and turned around. "Um, thanks?" he said with a confused look. "We will meet again..." she said and without another word, Taki disappeared in to the night. Leonsritt still needed training, but he knew he'll need to hone his skills. Though he still asked himself about why Taki placed herself like that on top of him. He had headed to his bed, and looked at Cassandra.

"Wow, I've never seen her sleep so peacefully like that..."

* * *

><p>The next morning, Leonsritt had woken up and started his solo training. Cassandra had woken up to find Leonsritt train by himself. She walked up with her gear. "Hey, mind if I join you?" she asked. "Um, sure..." he said. "But let's have a sparring match. Is that okay with you?" she asked. "Okay, let's go, then," he said.<p>

"I'm going all out!"

And the sparring match raged on. The day had turned to night, swords clashed as both had started tiring out. Leonsritt had fallen down on his knees, and Cassandra had knocked him down completely by pushing him down with her butt... again. "Seriously, what the hell? I swear I never see that coming..." he said. Pinned down, he felt Cassandra sit on him. Cassandra looked at Leonsritt's eyes, lost in them. She slowly moved her hips and felt warm. Leonsritt felt lost in her eyes and began to feel good. _I... Cassandra... I... want you..._ he thought. Cassandra moved her hips back and forth, and the more she moved, the bigger it grew. She had let out a small moan. He felt her moving and had now reached his limit. He had snapped back to reality that he noticed what was happening was totally wrong. Pushing her off, he had stood up quickly. "Cassandra... don't... just..." he said and quickly stood up. "Leonsritt... I-I'm..." said Cassandra, sitting on the ground. He walked away, leaving Cassandra behind.

* * *

><p>Taking his clothes off, he dived in the river. <em>There was no way she was doing that... on me... <em>he thought, _what the hell is going on? This isn't happening... _He was just confused. How is it that this just happened to him? He stayed in the river for a while just thinking of that single moment. _Okay, just chill..._ he thought, _nothing happened, she isn't real, I'll forget what just happened_. He had turned around, and noticed her right in front of him, naked...

"CASSANDRA!"

She had held him tightly. _WHAT THE HELL? NO WAY!_ he thought. He felt her whole body on him, as Leonsritt was paralyzed at what was going on. She felt her whole body pressing against him, he didn't know what to do. Cassandra began to caress his body, arousing him. He didn't know what to do, and he felt getting bigger. She let out a small moan at the slight touch of it on herself. Leonsritt couldn't believe this was happening. A girl who has the guts of doing this kind of thing with him. These feelings he held back, the ones he denied, he couldn't handle it anymore. He held Cassandra tightly, that he kissed her in the most of amorous ways. She couldn't believe it herself that she had also let herself go all out. He let his hand down on to her body as he reached down and played with her. Cassandra let out small moans, and she had done the same thing with Leonsritt. Both had felt this feeling of pleasure as they had been in the river. I.. I can't hold it much longer... he thought, if this is how I feel about her... The young man let himself out. The two made it to the ground and they began to lock lips. He fondled her breasts as Cassandra had moaned so loud at the excitement and the way he was handling her. But he had stopped. Cassandra had known this was going to happen. He snapped once again, and realized the situation. "Look, Cassandra... This isn't right... I'm sorry... I can't do this..." he said and he changed back on. "Leo... why?" she asked, her eyes filling with tears.

"It just can't happen... I can't do this..."

Cassandra stared at him with a sad emotion, like he broke her heart, shattered it to pieces. Leonsritt was angered about this. He grabbed his steel paddle and started attacking the trees around him. His anger wasn't helping him as no matter how much he swung and hit, it just didn't relieve him of that situation. A few hours had passed and he walked back to the campsite. He noticed Cassandra sitting near the fire, sad. Walking up to her, Leonsritt kneeled in front of her. "Cassandra... look... I'm sorry I walked awa-" "Get away..." she said as he didn't finish. "Just listen to me..." he said. Cassandra had looked away from him. Leonsritt felt bad for this. "Look, I'm sorry, but I didn't want that to happen. I don't know why I did that. But this was a little too fast to happen. One thing is, I had these doubts in my mind and I don't think-" he kept talking until Cassandra stopped him by placing a finger on his lips. "Leonsritt... I... I love you... I had fallen for you the first time I saw you... I just couldn't keep my feelings for you anymore... I just wanted to be with you... This is love at first sight for me..." Tears were running down her face as she told him this. Leonsritt couldn't believe what he was hearing. Though he didn't believe this, he just couldn't refuse these feelings for her.

"But, now that I have told you this... Leo... do you... love me?"

There was silence. Leonsritt had looked down on the ground. Cassandra had waited for his answer, but Leonsritt had been surprised about what he just heard from the girl who's traveling with him. Cassandra grabbed his hand and placed it on her chest. He looked at her and saw her with tears running down her face. "Cassandra... You are someone special to me..." he said. Her eyes widened at those words. He wiped them off and leaned towards Cassandra, kissing her. Leonsritt's mind was made up. He loved this girl, no matter how much he denied these feelings. She lied down as he had kept kissing her. Cassandra had grabbed his hand and placed it on one of her breasts, as he fondled her. She let out tiny moans, as Leonsritt had kept his lips slowly caressing her neck. He undid her bow and her hair was loose.

* * *

><p><em><strong>The following paragraph will get graphic. I DID warn you at the beginning of this story and chapter. I know this is romantic and stuff, but hey, a little bit of steaminess is needed on this. Why do you think it's rated M in the first place? Skip it if you want, but if you feel like reading it, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED...!<strong>_

* * *

><p>Leonsritt began to slide his hand down Cassandra's body, caressing her soft skin. Cassandra undid her vest and she revealed her bare skin. The two began playing with each other's tongues and he began to fondle her breasts, with Cassandra letting out small moans. The young woman grabbed his hand and placed it on her panties. "Play with me," she said. He began to rub on her, and she let out progressively louder moans. She grabbed him and began to play with him as well, with him beginning to let out moans as well. Leonsritt began to feel his hand was getting wet. Cassandra pulled her panties to the side and forced his fingers into her. She moaned louder as he slowly moved his fingers inside of her. She firmly grasped his hand and made his fingers move in deeper. Cassandra opened her eyes, and looked into his eyes. The two locked lips once again and played with their tongues. Leonsritt took off his shirts and Cassandra noticed the build on him. "Leo..." she said, "I... want you... inside me..." She moved her legs to his hips. Leonsritt looked at her and as he saw her, he saw Cassandra as an angel reaching out to him. He lifted her and she moved her hips towards his, as it slid inside of her. She moaned and let out a whimper. "Are... you okay...?" he asked. "I'm fine..." she said, "it hurts a little, but... it feels good." She began to move her hips back and forth, with her moaning loud. She embraced him and Leonsritt began to breathe heavily. He felt Cassandra's warm breath hit his neck. She leaned back and he began to suck on her breasts. His tongue played with her nipples, causing her to moan even more. <em>To be doing this with her...<em> he thought, _I never thought I'd do this with her of all women..._ Cassandra moaned loudly as she moved her hips faster. "I'm... about to..." she said as she moved her hips violently and she shouted with pleasure. Leonsritt fell on his back with Cassandra resting on him. He felt her juices come out and she looked at him with satisfaction on her face. Cassandra rested and Leonsritt whispered on her ear, "I love you..."

* * *

><p>Early morning had struck and Leonsritt had no idea what happened last night, thinking whether it was real or just a dream. <em>What a weird dream...<em> he thought. He was confused, but looked around and saw everything was just normal. He lied back down but when he turned around he noticed Cassandra right next to him, sleeping and naked. _THIS WASN'T A DREAM?_ he thought as he saw that. Cassandra woke up and smiled at Leonsritt. "Leo... good morning..." she smiled. Leonsritt was more confused than feeling accomplished. He knew he always wanted her, but just looking at what had happened last night was just shocking to him. Leonsritt felt her arms around him, and without anymore thoughts he embraced her. _I guess I did do that..._ he thought. "Hey... come on, let's keep going... you said we're almost there are we?" he asked. "Yeah, we are..." she said with a smile. Changing into her clothes, Cassandra put away everything. Leonsritt had readied himself and started along the way. Leonsritt walked as Cassandra had followed him, feeling very happy. Cassandra had held one of his hands, and Leonsritt didn't mind it, though he just felt very weird about it. He looked at Cassandra, as she looked at him, smiling. _Hmm. I think I can get used to this, _he thought.

* * *

><p>An hour later, they both reached a river, and a boat was there. Approaching the boat, Cassandra and Leonsritt had seen a man resting near the boat. Leonsritt approached the man. "Excuse me, sir. Where can I go in order to reach Wolfkrone Kingdom?" he asked. The man lifted his big hat and looked at the two. "You two travelers?" he asked. "Yeah, my companion here and I need to get there." he said as he waited for an answer. "Well, consider yourself lucky, because I'm headed there too!" he said, smiling. "Is it okay with you to take us along?" asked Cassandra.<p>

"Well, sure!"

Cassandra had walked to the boat and sat down. Leonsritt had sat down and the man had started rowing. Seeing how the man was rowing by himself, Leonsritt used his steel paddle to make the travel much faster. They had reached the ocean, and the man set his sail. Yet as soon as he did, a ship had emerged from the sea. The man was frightened about this and Leonsritt had known who's ship this was. Cassandra stared at the ship in fear as well.

"You there... you're coming with me... to hell..."

That voice, Leonsritt knew who this was. Cassandra and the man had also recognized the voice of the one who called them out. Somehow, the three were on the ship, and that man was in front of them. Holding a broadsword and a pistol sword, he pointed the pistol sword at Leonsritt. "Cervantes. What do you want from me?" he asked. "So you heard of me, eh, lad?" asked Cervantes, "You have the guts to face me like that. I give you credit." "You don't scare me, Cervantes," said Leonsritt, "now what do you want from me?" "None other than that Soul Edge shard you have in your arm, lad." he said. Grabbing his steel paddle, Leonsritt prepared for battle. "Leo, be careful," said Cassandra. He turned to smile at her. "I'll be fine," he said, reassuring her. "So, you're willing to fight for it, now do you?" he asked, "you'll be regrettin' this day, lad." "You're just underestimating me..."said Leonsritt, smirking, "I'm not givin' you anything, nor will I give in to you..." "You dare to defy me?" snarled the captain.

The showdown aboard the ghost ship Adrian is about to begin...


	6. An Adventure in Wolfkrone Kingdom Castle

Chapter 4 – An Adventure in Wolfkrone Kingdom Castle

On the ocean, Leonsritt, Cassandra and the man with the boat had ended up on the Adrian, Cervantes's ghost ship. Leonsritt had prepared himself for battle, with Cervantes ready as well, as Cassandra and the man stared at them. "Cervantes. If you want this Soul Edge shard... THEN SHOW ME WHAT YOU'VE GOT!" taunted Leonsritt. "FOOL! There won't be ANYTHING left of you..." snarled Cervantes. They both stared at each other. Leonsritt had waited and Cervantes made the first move, swinging his swords at him with great speed. Leonsritt had swung but it seemed that his strikes went through him. Cervantes had kept his assault as Leonsritt had moved on the defensive.

"I thirst... for more souls..."

Leonsritt had seen an opening, but Cervantes had countered with a kick to the face, knocking him down to the floor, sliding towards a pole. Leonsritt had stood up and held his sword but was too weak to keep it held. Cassandra ran to his aid. "Are you okay?" she asked. "Yeah I am, just stay back," he said. "Wallow... in despair..." said Cervantes, taunting him. "Like hell I will, Cervantes," shouted Leonsritt. "That power of yours doesn't seem to work on me, boy," said Cervantes, mocking him.

"Heh... I'm not giving up this easy..."

Leonsritt had charged at Cervantes and directly attacked him. Cervantes still seemed to have the attack go through him, as if they had no effect. Leonsritt had now noticed a small opening as Cervantes beat him down again. Cassandra worried more as she had seen Leonsritt in pain. _Hmm... It's seems as he has a small opening_, he thought,_ after I attack him, he seems vulnerable. I think I'll give it a shot. _Cervantes stared intently at Leonsritt. _This lad's soul is mine for the takin'. And once I get that Soul Edge shard, I'll be closer to being brought back to life... _thought the captain. "Cervantes, what are you waiting for?" he shouted. Cervantes aimed his pistol sword at him, and shot at Leonsritt. He dodged the bullet and dashed to him. "Got you!" shouted Leonsritt and he charged with his blade directly pointed at him. "USELESS!" shouted Cervantes as he floated in midair and flew back. Leonsritt's attack missed Cervantes completely. "What the?" Leonsritt fell forward. Cervantes struck Leonsritt with his Dark Geo Da Ray. Leonsritt flew upward as Cervantes shot him. Leonsritt landed with a harsh thud. Bleeding from the wounds, he grunted in pain.

"Your time is up, lad. Your soul is mine for the takin'..."

Cervantes approached Leonsritt and had prepared for the final blow. _I'm going to defy this world's laws_, thought Leonsritt,_ let's hope this works... ugh..._ Leonsritt had gotten up and charged at Cervantes once again. "You're such a fool, lad!" said Cervantes. Leonsritt aimed the blade at Cervantes, and he prepared a blade, about to strike Leonsritt but he retaliated, with the steel paddle hitting the ground and pushing himself up with it...

"STORM VIPER!"

Cervantes had been kicked in the jaw by Leonsritt, and was in the air, with Leonsritt kicking him down towards the ground. _What...? how did he get me?_ thought Cervantes as he was caught off-guard. _It worked, but I doubt anything else will_, he thought, _I have no choice but to fake most of my moves before I hit him_. Leonsritt kept going with his assault of new moves on Cervantes. Leonsritt was too exhausted, but his wounds had now healed as he shifted to his demon form. Cervantes had attacked Leonsritt once more, but Leonsritt had blocked. He faked a right hook and tripped Cervantes. Cervantes had now been taking a beating as Cassandra cheered Leonsritt on.

"Cervantes, you lose."

He had performed one more Storm Viper, and this time, it sent Cervantes crashing down hard on the floor. Holding a weakened Cervantes, Leonsritt threatened him. "Now that we're on this ship, you better takes us on to Wolfkrone Kingdom. Unless I can take all that energy of Soul Edge out of you..." "You win this time, boy," said Cervantes and he led the ship to Wolfkrone Kingdom. You could've been useful for my crew, lad," he said. Leonsritt reverted back to normal, and without another word, Cervantes had disappeared after the three had gotten off the Adrian. The two turned to the man. "First things first, sir. Here's some gold for your boat and all. Sorry if we caused you any trouble," said Leonsritt as he gave him a pouch with gold pieces in it. "No harm done. But thank you," said the man. "Why thank us?" asked Cassandra. "If I met Cervantes myself, I would've been doomed," said the man, smiling. "Well, that is true," said Leonsritt as they headed to the entrance to the Capital of Wolfkrone, "good luck on your new boat, sir!"

* * *

><p><p>

Leonsritt and Cassandra had reached the Capital of Wolfkrone. The new sights had been amazing to them. The people, the houses, shops, everything. Cassandra was so excited at the new sights she explored everywhere. Leonsritt had seen a lot of weapon shops, and decided to go to a blacksmith to get his blade fixed. "Hello there, kind blacksmith." he greeted. "How may I help you?" answered someone else. A young woman came up to the counter as the blacksmith was too busy, forging a sword. "How much gold for fixing a blade?" he asked, smiling at the young woman. "100 pieces of gold, sir!" she replied. Looking in his pocket for gold, he only had 25 pieces. "I'll come by later. Thank you..." he said, scratching his head. "You have a good day, sir!" she said, waving goodbye at him. Leaving, he felt pretty hungry now. He looked around for Cassandra, and found her at the entrance towards the Wolfkrone Castle. "Leo! I was gonna look for you, but you found me. Let's go inside!" she said, with the letter in hand. "Alright!" he said and the two walked towards the castle gates but were stopped by guards.

"You are not allowed to pass unless you have permission."

Cassandra took out the letter Hilde sent her, and showed it to the guards. They let her pass, but Leonsritt was denied the entry. "Hey! He came with me!" she said as the guards held her back. "Sorry, only those with proof can go in..." said one of the guards. "Don't worry, I'll deal!" he said, smiling at her. Cassandra was led into the castle and turned to Leonsritt. He had to go inside, but he thought how to. Looking carefully at the structure, he found a way. _Huh... just as I thought. Security's tight in this place_, he thought,_ I'm gonna have to Metal Gear this if I wanna get in. _He crouched and sneaked but he noticed some guards walking towards his direction. Using evasion, he rolled into a bush and the guards walked by. _That was close. I really gotta be careful_, he thought,_ this isn't a game, so I gotta think each and every move_. Leonsritt moved and had made it to the castle walls. To get over them was the hard part. He looked and found stacks of crates, with a guard nearby. _How to distract this guy...?_ he thought and remembered the gold he had left, _I got it! _He grabbed a piece of gold and threw it. The guard noticed the piece and walked to get it, while Leonsritt climbed the wall. He made it to the other side of the walls and making it down another stack of crates, landed on a place what seemed to look like a training area. He sneaked and noticed two guards at a door. _Dammit! Now how to get rid of these guys...? _he thought. "HEY!" shouted a guard. Leonsritt had a bad feeling about this one. He grabbed his blade and noticed that he didn't get caught. The guard on the other side of the walls called the two guards on the door. They ran and talked to him. They had also climbed the stacks of crates.

"Hey, I found this piece of gold there!"

"You think there might be more?"

"Let's go look!"

The guards had climbed over to the other side, and the area was clear for Leonsritt to go by. _This is awesome! OH MY GAWD! METAL GEAR! _he thought, _so I CAN defy the laws of this world with other game tactics... _Sneaking in to the castle, he was in the Armory room. He needed to go to find Cassandra, and looking at the suits of armor he decided to put one, but someone walked in and caught him. "HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!" asked the person. It seemed to be high rank guard. _THINK OF SOMETHING, THINK OF SOMETHING, THINK OF SOMETHING! _he desperately thought. "Answer me!" shouted the guard. "Preparing myself, sir! I saw an intruder in the palace grounds, sir. I slowed him down and managed to take his weapon, sir!" said Leonsritt, _man I hope this works! _Leonsritt lied, hoping this would get them without taking him, and showed this higher rank of a guard his steel paddle. "Good job, cadet! Now be on alert! If you spot the intruder once more, then subdue him and we'll be alerted," said the high rank guard. "Yes sir! But what about the weapon, sir?" asked Leonsritt. "You are a rookie soldier, am I right!" asked the guard. "Y-yes, sir!" he said, standing firmly. "Then as your reward for your first intruder slow down, keep it!" he said. "Yes, sir! Thank you, sir!" said Leonsritt. The high rank guard walked out. He felt relieved that he didn't get caught. He left the Armory room and walked into a hallway... A LONG hallway. He walked and some guards were there. Leonsritt walked up to them. "Hey, you guys know where Princess Hildegard is?" asked Leonsritt. "Why?" asked one of them. _Keep your cool and go with the flow_, thought Leonsritt, "I'm just a rookie, and I need to know to go to places in the castle," "Well, don't worry, I was like you, too!" said one of them. "Young rookie, you remind us of us when we first started!" said the other. Leonsritt felt kind of guilty that these guys weren't talking to a rookie, but the intruder. So the guards escorted him towards the main room, all the while talking about how it was being a guard in the castle. They all shared some information about the people in the castle and the castle itself. He felt he was in a museum rather than a castle, and all the statues, paintings, and the sort were making Leonsritt amazed. The guards kept talking to him and showing him many rooms of the castle. After a while, they reached the main room, where Cassandra and Hilde were talking.

"Cassandra!"

"Huh? You know the woman?" asked one of them. "Uh, yeah, I do... She... they talk about her a lot where I come from... yeah." said Leonsritt, squinting suspiciously. "Ah, but she is a total hottie!" said one of them. That made Leonsritt feel a little jealous. "Rookie, you surely are causing us good luck." said one of them. "Is it possible if I can talk to the princess and tell her about the intruder?" he asked. "Well, since you are making our day, let us try!" said one of them. The guards walked in and Leonsritt followed. "Princess Hildegard! Our rookie has something to say to you!" said one of them. "Shut the doors behind you, if you please." said the young woman. "Yes, milady." responded the other guard. The guards shut the doors. Leonsritt walked towards Hilde and Cassandra. Hilde was a beautiful woman. She sported a blue dress, with long red hair and hazel eyes. Leonsritt had kneeled in front of her and Cassandra was looking at him. _His sword_, she thought, _did something happen to Leo? _"Princess Hildegard..." he began. The was a long silence between Hilde and him. He removed the helmet and Cassandra was surprised at the sight of the guard being Leonsritt. "I... am the intruder." he finished. "Our rookie is the intruder? Alert everyo-" shouted the guards. "WAIT!" interrupted Hilde and she stopped the guards. As she looked at him, she looked at Cassandra. "This is the young man that is accompanying you?" she asked. "Yes, he is." responded Cassandra. "Guards, do not alert. It is fine, just go back to your posts." she ordered them. "Yes, milady!" responded the two guards simultaneously. The two guards turned around and headed towards the doors, but Leonsritt had stopped them. "Wait. I'm so sorry if this was of any inconvenience, but since you guys were awesome with me, here!" he said and he gave them some pieces of gold. "Young one, you may be our intruder, but you are so noble!" whimpered one of them. "May God and the princess bless you!" whimpered the other. The guards broke down in tears as they said their goodbyes. "That was weird, but anyway, I will introduce myself. My name is Leonsritt," he introduced himself. "I am Princess Hildegard von Krone, but you may call me Hilde," she said. "My sincerest apologies if I had caused some trouble in the castle..." he said, bowing in forgiveness. "It's fine... but how did you make it past my guards?" she wondered. "I have some skill in espionage... yeah, espionage..." he said, squinting his eyes once again.

"I see..."

"Leo, I thought you said you were gonna stay out there," said Cassandra. "I was, but I wanted to go in, too," he said, shrugging. "Now that you are here, we will discuss on what I need to do..." said Hilde. "Alright, but first- uhh..." Leonsritt collapsed on the floor. Cassandra ran to him. Weakened, he looked around, everything around looking fuzzy. "Oh God... I'm sooo hungry..." he said and his stomach growled loudly. "Guards!" she called out. Guards walked in to the room... "We will keep this going later. Escort these two to our guest rooms..." she said and turned to the guards. "Yes, milady..." They were escorted, as Leonsritt asked his two new friends about some food. "You guys got any food on you?" he asked. "I do," said one of them as he took out a small pouch. "Oh, but milady will provide you with food later on," said the other. "Thanks!" said Leonsritt as he got a small piece of bread. The guards left and he was in a room so big he felt it would be big enough as an apartment for himself. He set all of his equipment on the bed and sat down, looking outside the window. He saw the townspeople walking around, in and out the shops. His stomach grumbled loudly, and noticed a maid walking in, with food. "Milady has sent this meal towards you, young lord," said the maid. "Um, thanks, but you can call me Leonsritt," he said smiling. "Oh no, I can't do that," said the young woman, pushing up her glasses. "Don't worry about it. I just like being called by my own name. Besides, I'm not high class like Your Highness, so can I get your name?" he asked. "My name is Lilianna," she replied, blushing. "It's nice to meet you. Thanks for the food," he said, bowing to her. "Yes, now I will head back to work," she said bowing back. "Okay, see you again!" he said. The maid left and Leonsritt had started eating, feeling grateful for the food. "Finally! Grub!" he said with a mouth full of food.

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><p><p>

The hours passed and the guards had escorted Cassandra and Leonsritt to the throne room where Hilde was waiting for them. "So what are we here for?" asked Leonsritt. "I have sent Cassandra the letter to help me find a cure for my father..." she said. "Huh, well what made him get sick?" asked Cassandra. "Come with me." said Hilde and the two of them followed Hilde to the King's chambers, and walked in to look at a bedridden king. There was a disturbance with Leonsritt and the pain in his arm was growing worse. He collapsed on the floor, grasping his arm. "Leo!" shouted Cassandra as he fell to his knees, breathing heavily. "Guh... AUGH!" he winced in pain. "What's wrong?" asked Hilde. "Leo's arm... it's glowing!" she said, as the king's chest began to emanate aura and Leonsritt's arm reacted to it. "NGH! GAH!" he winced and gripped his arm tightly. "LEO!" shouted Cassandra. "The power of Soul Edge... It's what's... gotten the king... sick..." struggled Leonsritt. "Leonsritt, you hold a Soul Edge shard?" asked Hilde as her stare slowly began to change into a glare "Get me... away..." he said, breathing heavily. "Leo, hold on..." said Cassandra. Cassandra helped him out of the King's chambers. The pain had calmed down. Hilde walked out of the room and had looked at Leonsritt. A long moment of silence had crossed him and Hilde. She grabbed him and pinned him to the wall. "You... why do you have a Soul Edge shard on you?" She said, snarling at him. "Look, I don't know how I got it..." he said. "You're here to get to my father aren't you?" she shouted. "You got it all wro- WHOA! UNGH!" Leonsritt was thrown to the ground and Hilde had grabbed a pole from one of the statues. She pointed it at his throat. "Hilde, wait! Leonsritt's not like that!" said Cassandra as she ran to Leonsritt's aid. "Hilde, I have a shard but..." he said, with his anger slowly elevating."Then what are you after?" she snarled again. "I WANT THIS DAMN FRAGMENT OUT OF ME!" he yelled out. Hilde had noticed his arm and noticed a marking now stretched out towards his whole arm. She was shocked at the sight of it. Leonsritt got up and had looked at Hilde. "I can sort of control its power, but I need to get rid of this shard," he said. "My... my sincerest apologies..." said Hilde bowing her head down in shame, but Leonsritt had held her hand. "Don't worry about it, because Cassandra and I are here..." he said turning to Cassandra and smiling at her, "right?" "Yeah!" she said. Hilde had cheered up and smiled but that moment was soon interrupted with guards arriving. "Milady, there's an intruder on castle grounds," said one of them. "Who is it?" asked Hilde. "Apparently it's a young woman with what appears to be a ring blade..." replied the guard. "A ring blade?" asked Cassandra. "Wait! Cassandra, Hilde, follow me. As for the guards, they protect the king," said Leonsritt. "Guards, keep anyone away from my father!" ordered Hilde. "Yes, milady!" they responded and stood near the King's door. Leonsritt, Cassandra, and Hilde prepared themselves and headed towards the castle door. A young woman was there, with the guards in a defensive stance. She was laughing, in a manner that sent a chill down everyone's spine. "Tira!" shouted Leonsritt. "Oh my! You are such a cutie! But it's such a shame I'll have to kill you!" said the lavender-eyed girl. "Leo! You know this girl!" asked Cassandra with her weapon at ready. "Yeah... she's out to kill everyone who's in possession of a Soul Edge shard and anyone who gets in her way, to awaken Nightmare's true potential..." he explained. "Can I kill you? Please?" she asked in a happy tone of voice. "Hmph, not on my watch!" he said as he gripped the steel paddle. "Cassandra, stay back..." said Hilde. "Hilde, hold everyone back. Cassandra, alert everyone in the castle," said Leonsritt, and Hilde signaled to the guards. "So you're gonna play with me?" asked Tira. "Bring it!" he shouted.

Leonsritt prepared his blade and Tira had gotten in to her stance. A battle is about to take place on the Wolfkrone Castle Gates...


	7. The Long Road to The Dark Capital

Chapter 5 – The Long Road to The Dark Capital

The Wolfkrone Castle Gates, the location where our heroes Leonsritt, Cassandra, and Hilde, along with the knights of the castle, are facing Tira, and her need of killing for Soul Edge's revival. An attractive young woman with short green hair and a green outfit with her skill of wielding the Ring Blade, she prepares for the battle with Leonsritt and the taking of the Soul Edge shard.

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><p><p>

"Play with me!" she said in a happy tone. "Alright, LET'S DO THIS!" he said gripping his blade. "YAY! TIME TO KILL YOU!" she shouted. And their blades clashed. Leonsritt had been striking with force, but the agility of this young lady was incredible that even her flexibility was catching Leonsritt off-guard. He struggled with striking Tira, even if his swings covered the entire area around him. She kept playing with him, and without hesitation, she struck him with the Ring Blade, launching him in the air. She was about to strike him again, but Leonsritt retaliated, throwing his steel paddle at the Ring Blade, causing it to rebound towards Tira. Both weapons hit her, but she laughed at that. Leonsritt landed safely. "Huh, I knew you were insane, but that's just ridiculous..." he said. "HOW'S THIS?" she shouted and dashed at Leonsritt. He had put himself in a defensive position, only to realize that she slid under and spun her Ring Blade at him, launching him into the air once more. He landed with a harsh thud. Tira laughed and Leonsritt stood up, coughing blood out. "WHY WON'T YOU DIE? PLEASE? WILL YOU DIE?" she said laughing. "It takes more than *kaf kaf* that to take me *kaf* down..." he struggled to speak. Tira dashed at Leonsritt once more. She slid again, but this time, he managed to grab hold of her by the neck.

"Not this time..." he said, _time to give this a try!_

He slammed her to the ground, with her bouncing off the ground. "MISETE YARE!" he shouted, swinging his fist back, "KUSANAGI NO KOBUSHI-YO!" He threw his fist forward, hitting Tira's gut. _That... that hurt! _he thought as he tried to contain the pain on his fist by shaking his hand. Leonsritt backed off and Tira stood up. Everyone had seen the look on her face and Leonsritt had noticed that Tira suddenly changed. Her stance was different and she looked at Leonsritt with a murderous intent.

"Playtime's over, you fool," she said.

"Heh, now that's more like it. BRING IT!" he said. Tira dashed and Leonsritt couldn't believe the agility Tira had, now that she was gloomy. "Over here!" she growled. Tira struck Leonsritt hard and knocked him down to the floor. She placed her foot on his chest. She held her Ring Blade high, aiming at his neck.

"And now... YOU DIE!"

"LEO!"

Cassandra intervened and she fought against Tira. Leonsritt had teamed with Cassandra and attacked her from both sides. Tira was fending both of them off with her Ring Blade, and she had let her guard down. Cassandra hit her with her shield, and Leonsritt had slammed his steel paddle against her, but she retaliated and knocked both of them down. Leonsritt stood up and helped Cassandra. "Are you okay?" he asked. "Y-yeah," she said in pain. He turned to look at Tira, and back at Cassandra. "Cassandra stay back, I'm gonna have to use it..."

"You sure about that?"

"Yeah, just stand back..."

Tira had stood up and looked at Leonsritt. Leonsritt had now shifted to his Demon form and his look was now a lot more different. Horns had now grown, his eyes had now looked whiter than usual, and markings had shown on his face. His hands had now looked like claws and his skin had changed to a pale white color. Tira had looked at him with lust and murderous intent. "You will be mine, and so will be that Soul Edge shard," she said. Leonsritt snarled at her. "Come and try..." he said. Tira dashed at Leonsritt and struck him but he held the Ring Blade with his hand. Tira was amazed at the sight of his blood dripping on her own skin. He landed a hit with his palm towards her gut, sending her crashing through the castle gates. She got back up and dashed at him once more. Leonsritt grabbed her and slammed her down to the ground. "GRRRAAAH!" he yelled out, and a small explosion of flames made Tira bounce up. He grabbed her again with his bloody hand and tossed her away. Tira stood up and looked at Leonsritt. The lavender-eyed woman touched her waist, with Leonsritt blood covering her. She saw her finger covered in his blood and licked it. Leonsritt looked at Tira in disgust.

"You're insane..."

"That tasty blood of yours... I will make you mine..."

Leonsritt had shifted from the place he was standing towards the spot right in front of Tira. "THIS IS IT!" he shouted and with a fierce swing from his steel paddle, he sent her flying high into the sky. Leonsritt had reverted to normal and walked towards everyone, with the wound on his hand now fully healed. Cassandra had walked to him and looked at him. She smiled and the guards cheered. Hilde was surprised, yet in shock of how Leonsritt used the power of Soul Edge. "Are you okay?" asked Cassandra as she looked at his arm. "Yeah," he said but noticed Hilde frozen in place. "Hilde, are you alright?" he asked. "There's no way... how did you..."

"We'll explain later..."

Hilde was still shocked about this, but she had snapped back to reality. Leonsritt had followed them and when they arrived to Hilde's chambers, he explained to Hilde about the events that happened to them before their arrival to Wolfkrone Kingdom. She had understood what was going on and had guards escort them to the guest rooms once more after the conversation. Leonsritt had felt something wasn't feeling right about Hilde, yet he set himself to rest.

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><p><p>

The day had turned to night and Lilianna had come into the room again, with dinner. "Good evening, Leonsritt. Milady has sent me to deliver your dinner here," she said. "Thanks, Lilianna. Hey, a question for you," he said. "What is it?" she asked. "Has Princess Hildegard calmed down yet?" he asked, wondering about her since earlier. "Oh, yes, she is... I know what happened outside, and it was amazing," she said smiling. "Oh, well I don't know what to say about that," he said, flattered. "But it is still unbelievable..." she continued, "I know of the legend of the Sacred and Evil Swords. You possess a shard of Soul Edge..." he looked at the arm in which the shard is in. "But it amazes me... You use its evil power for good..." she said. "Yeah... I just want this out of me, but I guess you can say that," said Leonsritt, "I know the person who uses the power of Soul Edge loses their control and let the power control them against their will..." Lilianna smiled at him. "You should never change your way," she said. "I know, but it's not like I wanted it in the first place," he said, clenching his fist. Lilianna walked to the door and she turned to Leonsritt. "Leonsritt... I know you will fight against the evil in this world... don't ever give up!" she said, winking at him. "I won't!" said Leonsritt, giving her a thumbs up and smiled. Lilianna left and he ate his dinner. He had finished and Cassandra had walked in. "Hey. Are you feeling well, now?" she asked as she sat next to him. "Yeah, I feel great, thanks to the food," he said and yawned, "I'm tired now." "But that girl..." she said, with a face that caused Leonsritt to smile. "I know... I heard she was crazy, but I gotta say that's just wrong..." he said, scratching his head. "Well, at least you dealt with her..." she said. "Yep, so let's get some rest..." Leonsritt said. Cassandra had kissed him and she left. Leonsritt had gone to the bed, and felt really comfortable, now that he was able to sleep in a bed. "It feels good lying on a mattress," he said and he closed his eyes.

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><p><p>

Something wasn't feeling right. Something kept him from sleeping. He sat up and looked around, but nothing was around. He laid back down and looked at the ceiling. He closed his eyes for a while, yet he still couldn't fall asleep. A good hour had passed and still he couldn't fall asleep. He looked at the ceiling. _Man, why can't I fall asleep? What's wrong with me? _he thought. He closed his eyes once more, and this time he felt someone remove the covers. He pulled the covers back on him. _Cassandra's in here... I'm not even in the mood_, he thought. "Cassandra, not now, I need rest," he said. There was no response, and he felt the covers being pulled once again, and pulled his covers back on. "Cassandra, seriously, I'm not in the mood. Can't it wait?" he asked and once again there was no response. He felt her lips caressing his abdomen softly. _I'll let this slide just once... _he thought and he closed his eyes. He felt her breasts slowly caress him. She got closer to his neck as he began to let out tiny moans and the covers went off. He slowly opened his eyes and noticed a young woman place herself on him. Her lavender eyes were looking at him with need, with lust. He noticed short green hair on her. This was none other than Tira. "Wait... wha...?" He was about to say something, but she placed her hand on his mouth. She placed herself firmly on him. She started moving and moans started to come out of her. _There's no way! How did she get in here? I thought it was Cassandra! _he thought.

"I told you that you would be mine..."

Leonsritt had pushed her off him. "Get off me!" he shouted. Tira walked to him and he dodge rolled out of the way. Leonsritt backed away, and Tira had looked at Leonsritt. She tried getting to him but he managed to shove her back to the floor. He put his shirt back on, and Tira, without any clothing, approached him and placed her lips on his. She had backed away, and Leonsritt was shocked at what was happening. "What the hell is wrong with you!" he shouted.

"Play with me..."

Leonsritt had walked and picked up his steel paddle, and Tira put her clothes back on. Turning around to him, she noticed the tip of the blade at her neck. Leonsritt wasn't really happy about this. "Why won't you be mine...?" she said. _W-wow... you know, she's not really bad from up clo—NO!_ He thought, and he backed away into a corner of the room. "What the hell is wrong with you? SERIOUSLY?" he shouted, "Man, screw this!" he dashed to his weapon, with Tira following. "Hey, what's that over there?" he asked pointing at the window. "What?" she asked and Leonsritt swung his blade hard on Tira's gut. The force of it caused Tira to crash through the window and fly farther than usual. Guards walked in the room, armed and ready. "What's going on?" asked one of the guards. "Don't worry, an intruder tried to get in, but I managed to knock him out," said Leonsritt, chuckling nervously. "Have you sustained injury, Lord Leonsritt," asked another guard. "I'm fine, but whoever that thief was, managed to get in here without being seen," said Leonsritt. Cassandra walked in, looking worried. "Leo, are you okay?" she said running to him. "Yeah, don't worry. It's all good," he said, reassuring her and patting her head. She felt relieved and hugged Leonsritt. Hilde walked in and noticed the broken window. Leonsritt told her about an intruder trying to break in, and managed to fend him off. Hilde walked back out and everything was settled. Leonsritt had laid down on his bed, with thoughts about what happened. _Why do I get the feeling I'm about to get stalked by Tira? … No, worse than that_, he thought,_ but I think the better question would be, why do these women get an attraction for me...? Weird..._

Leonsritt had fallen asleep with these thoughts of uneasiness.

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><p><p>

The next morning, Leonsritt woke up and prepared himself. His friends, the guards, came in. "Young lord, the princess is waiting for you in the throne room," said one of them. "Alright, then," he said standing up and heading for his weapon. "It seems you are going to accompany her on her travels," said the other one. Leonsritt's brow raised. "Really...?" he asked. "Yes," said the two. "Hey, now that I think about it, I never got your names..." he said, walking up to the two. "I am Emilio," said one of them. "And I am Renard," said the other. Emilio was shorter than Renard, a Spaniard with a goatee, and Renard, a tall one with long blonde hair. "So, Emilio, Renard. Since I'm leaving, it was awesome meeting you guys," he said bowing at the two. Emilio and Renard broke down in tears. Leonsritt was weirded out, but he calmed them down. They walked to the throne room and found Cassandra and Hilde talking. Hilde noticed them walking in and greeted Leonsritt. "Guards. Back to your posts!" she ordered. "Yes, milady!" the two answered and obeyed. Emilio and Renard walked out, as Leonsritt walked to Cassandra and looked at Hilde. "Cassandra, Leonsritt. I have decided to join you on your quest," she said with determination. "That's great!" said Cassandra, joyfully. "I will find a cure for my father. And Leonsritt, since you're going to find Isabella Valentine, I will go on with you and help you find a way to remove the shard," she said. "Hm!" he replied. "So we will depart in an hour or so," she said as Leonsritt noticed that Hilde was wearing some of her battle armor. Leonsritt, Cassandra and Hilde had walked out of the throne room. An hour later, the three had walked to the castle gates, and everyone in the castle had bid them goodbye. Emilio and Renard had broke down in tears... again. Leonsritt looked at them. "HEY!" he called out to the two. Emilio and Renard looked at him. Leonsritt walked to the two guards. "Come on guys, be proud. You guys are my friends no?" he asked. Emilio and Renard answered with a nod. "We'll see each other again someday. Promise?" he asked. "Promise!" said the two. He walked to Cassandra and Hilde. He raised his sword and grinned proudly.

"NEVER FORGET! WE'RE FRIENDS TILL THE END, GUYS!"

"YEAH!"

They raised their swords with pride, and with that said, they left Wolfkrone Castle. "So where are we headed to?" he asked. "We're a long way from there, Leonsritt. We're going to the Dark Capital, Ostrheinsburg." said Hilde. He looked onward. The path to the Dark Capital. This sounded intriguing for Leonsritt. Hilde had walked to the exit to the Capital. Cassandra and Leonsritt followed and yet he had an uneasy feeling about this. Like he was being watched. Hilde looked at him. "Are you alright?" she asked. He walked, lost in thought, but his concentration was broken when Hilde placed her hand on his shoulder. "Huh?" he said. "I asked if you were okay," said Hilde. "Oh, y-yeah... why?" he asked. "You seem out of it," said Hilde, looking concerned. "No, I'm fine," he assured them. "Leo, are you sure?" asked Cassandra and she put her hand on his forehead. He didn't have a fever or anything of the sort. She whispered in his ear. "WHAT? NO!" he said. She sighed. "It's alright, guys. Seriously, I'm fine," "Whatever you say, Leo," said Cassandra, "consider yourself lucky to be traveling with two hotties." Hilde chuckled and Leonsritt turned forward, hiding his red face. "Well, just tell us if anything's wrong," said Hilde. "I will," he said, chuckling nervously.

They proceeded, but what is this uneasiness that's bothering him? Was it the plan heading to Ostrheinsburg? He asked himself, but it wasn't that. What is it that's really bothering him...?


	8. EX2 A Perfect Plan

EX Chapter 2 – A Perfect Plan

It was morning and Tira woke up a few miles away from Wolfkrone Kingdom. "I was so close..." said Tira, "but he..." She thought about him, about Leonsritt. She began to get hot and bothered but her thoughts were broken at a sudden commotion. She jumped up the nearest tree and hid between the leaves. A group of children were heading towards her direction. "So I heard this one guy who carries a giant sword can send people flying," said one of them. "Really?" asked another one of the kids. "He must be super strong!" said another one of them. The kids took out a small shovel. "Wait, what are we here for again?" asked the girl in the group. "We're here to catch a rabbit," said the main boy. "Yeah, we're planning to keep it as a pet," said the other boy. They began to dig a big hole deep enough for the rabbit to fall. _Are these kids thinking they'll catch the rabbit?_ thought Tira as she observed the children set up the trap. The kids set up a small thin blanket and covered the small deep hole with old leaves. The main boy took out a small pouch, containing carrots and greens in it, putting it over the trap. "Are you sure this'll work?" asked the little girl. "Of course! My dad taught me," said the main boy. "Let's hide!" said the other boy. All of them hid behind the nearest tree. Minutes passed by until a small rabbit appeared. Everyone stood quiet as the rabbit began to sniff out the food. _This won't work at all..._ thought Tira. The rabbit slowly approached the patch of leaves and leapt towards the food.

**PLOP!**

The rabbit fell in the deep hole and the kids ran to it. The boy managed to grab ahold of the rabbit. "Wow, we did it," said the main boy. The little girl grabbed a carrot and fed it to the rabbit. They walked away from the area. "My dad's gonna be so proud of me," said the main boy. As the children disappeared, Tira jumped down the tree. She looked at the small hole, she began to plot her capture. "My love, you will be mine!" she shouted and she ran far ahead. "I must have you for me, and we'll live happily ever after!" she said. She found an area and began digging with the shovel the children left behind. "Those kids left this behind, but it's good for me..." she said and an idea sparked up in her head. "Aww, how wonderful will it be to have kids!" she said, laughing and rolling on the ground as her face got red. In several minutes, she finished the hole, so deep it would require two people to get out. Tira gracefully jumped off the walls and made it out. "Now that it's done i-" she said but stopped as two guards walked by. She hid up on the trees once more, and she heard the guards talking. "I can't believe she's leaving the castle, but I guess if it's to save the king," said one of the guards. "I envy the young man," said the other guard. _They must be talking about my love_, she thought. "Why, because he gets to travel with both the princess and that other hottie?" asked the first guard. "Yeah," replied the other guard. _WHAT? HE'S GOING TO TRAVEL WITH THOSE TWO BIMBOS?_ Thought Tira, as she began to shake her fist in anger, _NO! I HAVE TO TAKE HIM AWAY FROM THOSE TWO HUSSIES!_ She headed towards the Capital gates and hid in the tree branches. She waited for a while until she noticed Leonsritt, Cassandra, and Hilde walk out. _Time to follow them_, she thought...

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><p><em>Whoa! I just got a shiver down my spine. That's not good... Why do I feel like I'm being watched...?<em>


	9. The Stalker

Chapter 6 – The Stalker

On the long path to the Dark Capital of Ostrheinsburg, our heroes Leonsritt and Cassandra, now accompanied by Hilde, walk in a forest. Something still wasn't feeling right with Leonsritt. He stopped and thought about this. "Hey, Cassandra..." he asked. "Hm? What is it?" she turned and asked him. "Ever get the feeling we're being watched?" he asked, looking around."No. Not really. Why?" asked Cassandra, shrugging. "Leonsritt, are you okay?" asked Hilde, turning to the two. "Yeah, but Hilde, I ask you the same question... Do you get the feeling we're being watched?" he asked. "No. Is that what's bothering you?" she asked, nodding. "Yeah. Ever since we left Wolfkrone Kingdom, I've been feeling this, like if I can sense it," he said, paranoid. "You probably need some rest, Leo," said Cassandra, looking at him. "That's not it," said Leonsritt, crossing his arms and looking down. "Hmm... I got it! Hilde, I'm gonna need some time alone with-" said Cassandra. "THAT'S NOT IT EITHER!" he said, in an annoyed manner. "So then what is it you need?" asked Hilde. "I'm thinking..." he said, struggling to come up with an idea. "Leo, you know we can solve your little problem with me and you-" said Cassandra, fidgeting her fingers. "No, not now. Later..." said Leonsritt, geez, and I thought I was active. "Fine..." said Cassandra, looking down in disappointment. "Is it just me or did the day go by quick?" asked Leonsritt. They were a moderate distance away from the capital as the sun began to set. "The Castle looks so small from far," said Cassandra. "Cassandra, let's go set up camp. Leonsritt, go get some fresh water," said Hilde. "Sure!" he agreed.

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><p>Leonsritt had been listening to where the sound of rushing water was coming from. He found a river and with a bucket he got from Cassandra, he picked up some water. "Man that took long but at least I found water," he said, smiling. He heard some rustling between the trees, startling him. "WHO'S THERE?" he shouted. Grasping his sword, he looked behind. Just a few small animals came out running. "I thought it may have been Tira," he said, sighing in relief. He kept picking up some water, until he felt someone embrace him. "Okay, Cassandra, seriously, calm down. We'll do that when we get the chance," he said, as he turned. His face went from a happy expression to that of a shocked one.<p>

"I FOUND YOU MY LOVE!"

It wasn't Cassandra he told that to. To his surprise, shock and whatever feeling there is, Tira had appeared. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE?" she shouted. "WHAT THE-!" shouted Leonsritt, and he crawled back, with Tira following him. "I THOUGHT I SENT YOU FLYING!" he shouted, frantically pointing at her. "THE POWER OF NEWFOUND LOVE HAS HELPED ME TO FIND YOU!" she said. "OH HELL NO!" he shouted as she pounced on him. "I won't let you be taken by those two bimbos," said Tira, holding him and purring. "GET AWAY FROM ME!" he shouted and knocked her off his back. "WAIT FOR ME, MY LOVE!" she said as he ran. He ran so fast, he arrived at the campsite in 10 seconds. He panted, trying to catch his breath. "Leonsritt, what's wrong?" asked Hilde. "You won't believe it, but-" he began but his sentence was cut short. "WHERE ARE YOU MY LOVE?" shouted Tira. "Leo... explain... NOW..." said Cassandra, angered. "I don't know how this happened... But I gotta run!" he said and began to run once again. Tira appeared, and she stopped in front of the two girls. "HE'S MINE!" yelled out Tira, and proceeded to chase Leonsritt. Cassandra and Hilde were frozen. Leonsritt ran, but somehow, Tira's jolly skipping caught up to him. He ran even faster, and Tira wasn't stopping at all...

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU?"

"WAIT FOR ME!"

"Oh, God help me!"

The whole day they both ran. Hilde and Cassandra wouldn't stop worrying about Leonsritt, but Cassandra was more than just worried. "Cassandra, are you okay?" asked Hilde. "Yeah, but it's just that... would Leonsritt really betray me like that?" asked Cassandra. "In what way?" wondered Hilde. "Him and I are together... it's been almost a month, yet would he do that...?" asked Cassandra, fidgeting her fingers. "I see where you're coming from. Would Leonsritt be running away from Tira if he is with you?" said Hilde. There was a long silence from both, until Leonsritt appeared. He collapsed to his knees and rested, catching his breath, tired from the chase. "Leo!" "Leonsritt!" called out the two. "Heh heh... finally got her off my back... You guys alright...?" he asked, catching his breath. "We were worried..." said Cassandra, approaching him. "Oh... sorry... about that," he said hugging Cassandra to calm her down. "How'd you manage to get her off you?" asked Hilde. "Well..."

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><p>Leonsritt ran and ran until he had fallen down a hole. "Great... just great..." he said, looking up at the hole. "OH MY! WHERE OH WHERE CAN MY LOVE BE?" said Tira, pretending to look around. "Aw crap...!" said Leonsritt and he stood quiet. Tira slowly approached the hole and jumped in there to find Leonsritt trying to get out. "MY LOVE! I FOUND YOU!" she shouted, embracing him tightly. "GET AWAY FROM ME!" he yelled, trying to push her away. "AW, BUT I WANNA BE WITH YOU FOREVER!" she said. "THE HELL YOU WILL!" Tira began to lick his face slowly as Leonsritt's pushes began to weaken. <em>Think of something... What can I do to get away from this hole?<em> he wondered. "You wanna do it?" she asked as she began to play with him. "W-what are you talking about?" he stammered, as her hand began to get inside his pants. "Let's get married and have lots of kids!" she said, in a lustful manner. "Um... okay..." he agreed, _I GOT IT! _"So when do you want to get engaged?" she asked as she began to lean to him. "Yeah, I hid the ring in here, on the ground... can you find it?" he said. "OH YAY! WHERE IS IT?" said Tira as she bent over to look for it on the ground. _NOW!_ he thought.

"TOH!"

Leonsritt jumped and bounced off Tira's back. He made it to the surface and ran as fast as he could. Tira noticed he got out. She started calling him. "MY LOVE? WHERE DID YOU GO?" she kept calling. _Sucker..._ he thought, as he ran as fast as he could back to the campsite.

* * *

><p>"Yeah, that's what pretty much happened," he finished. "She... HELD YOU?" she angrily shouted. "Cassandra, this isn't the time to get jealous. Leonsritt, what are you going to do?" asked Hilde. "I'm already creeped out that I got a stalker on my back and all, so can we get out of here?" he said, with a paranoid look on his face. "Leo, why did you let her hold you..." said Cassandra, angered. "Look, Cassandra, I know you're mad and all, but this isn't the time to ask me this," he said, quickly walking to the items and his blade. "Leonsritt is right. What we need to do is to get out of here before Tira comes to look for him again," said Hilde, walking towards Leonsritt. "Thanks, Hilde. Now come on, we gotta get out of here," said Leonsritt, quickly packing. Cassandra agreed and everyone left the campsite. It didn't matter how dark it was, the three kept going and Leonsritt wondered if Tira was probably on their tail. "You guys okay over there?" asked Leonsritt. "Yeah, we're fine!" replied Cassandra. Leonsritt kept running with Cassandra and Hilde in front of him. He lost balance and tripped. Hilde and Cassandra stopped and helped. All of a sudden, Leonsritt fell down yet another hole, along with Hilde and Cassandra. Tira jumped in and held Leonsritt tight. "GAH!" he grunted. "I KNEW YOU'D FALL FOR A HOLE, MY LOVE!" shouted Tira, embracing him again. "LEO! WHAT'S GOING ON?" shouted Cassandra, now more than angry. "Cassandra, Leonsritt... Calm down..." said Hilde, trying to calm Cassandra down. Cassandra couldn't hold it any longer. She exploded in a rage so powerful, everyone flew out of the hole Tira dug. Tira held on to Leonsritt tight, as he landed with a really harsh thud. Tira landed on top of him, but Hilde landed safely on the other side of the hole. Cassandra jumped out and attacked Tira with rage. Leonsritt stood up and walked to Hilde. "Wow, I can't believe Cassandra gets this jealous," said Leonsritt, looking at the two girls fight. "I told her to calm down," said Hilde, shrugging. Cassandra kept fighting with Tira, as she kept deflecting Cassandra's attacks.<p>

"How dare you touch him like that?"

"He's mine!"

Leonsritt couldn't help but sigh, "Hilde, seriously, this is getting ridiculous." "Leonsritt, whatever you're thinking... don't get in there..." she said, concerned. Leonsritt grasped his steel paddle. He turned to look at Hilde. "Heh, I'll take care of this," he said looking at the two fighting girls. "What are you going to do?" asked the redhead. "Hilde, go to the river. Rather, somewhere far," he said. "Why?" asked Hilde. "You don't wanna know..." he said. "Are you...?" she began to wonder as a grin began to grow on his face. "Kill? No, something dirtier than that. Something more on the lines of... well..." Leonsritt had made a certain gesture with his hands. Hilde knew something was going to happen, something more than a fight to split the two girls away.

"I hope you know what you're doing..."

"I'll deal..."

He didn't really like the idea, but he felt he had no choice. Two girls are fighting for one guy. It's almost every guy's fantasy but to Leonsritt, it seemed more of a nightmare. Cassandra and Tira fought hard but to their surprise, Cassandra's Short Sword and Tira's Ring Blade we're stopped by Leonsritt's Steel Paddle. Both girls looked at him, and his expression had given them chills down their spine. He was furious...

"My love?"

"Leo...?"

There was no answer from him. The moonlight was shining on him. His long hair covered his face, but revealing his frown. Cassandra and Tira looked at him. He raised his left hand and did a grabbing gesture with his hand. Both girls got distracted, letting Leonsritt knock both weapons from the girls' hands.

"What are you doing?"

"Leo, what's wrong?"

There still was no answer from him. Both weapons fell and pierced the ground. He walked towards the weapons, lifted his steel paddle, and placed it between the weapons, piercing the ground as well. He turned and looked at the girls, his frown slowly turning to a sly grin. He took off his shirt and grabbed both girls from their hands.

"Where are you taking us?"

* * *

><p><em><strong>I WARNED YOU. That's all I have to say...<strong>_

* * *

><p>Both girls asked, but once again, there was no reply. He pushed both girls on to a big tree. Cassandra was the first to lock lips with him. Tira was going to pull him away from Cassandra, but she was stopped by his hand going down and playing with her. She let out tiny moans, and he proceeded to do the same thing with Cassandra. Both of the girls' bodies had grown hot and Leonsritt enjoyed the moment. Cassandra and Tira had kissed Leonsritt, causing all three to feel up on each other. Leonsritt had started to enjoy this, but deep down, he felt guilty for doing this. The lavender eyed girl began to fondle her own breasts as she let Leonsritt slide her fingers inside of her. Cassandra took her vest off and she let him suck on her breasts as she jammed her fingers inside herself. The two girls began to play with him and he began to let out soft moans. <em>Dammit, the two of them...<em> he thought, _at this rate, I'll..._ Cassandra and Tira kept moaning loudly as the two kept playing with him. Cassandra pushed Leonsritt to the ground, and she placed herself on him, with it sliding inside of her with ease. Tira looked and she placed herself behind Cassandra. _Why am I... _she thought, _I can't help myself..._ Cassandra's hips began to move on their own, as Tira began to play with her breasts. Leonsritt looked as the two girls were playing with each other. Cassandra felt him grow even more inside of her. She got off of him and placed herself near his face. Tira placed her hips on him, with it sliding inside of her. _What the... _he thought, as he felt Tira's insides. He began to lick Cassandra's sensitive spot, and she moaned loudly. Tira looked at Cassandra's face. The two girls leaned towards each other and the two locked lips. Their muffled moans were heard and Tira began to move faster against Leonsritt. Cassandra and Tira moved and Leonsritt opened his eyes. He looked and saw the two girls licking him. He began to moan as the two girls used their tongues. _Ngh... their tongues... it feels too good..._ he thought. He began to release his juices and the two licked them off. _He tastes so good... _thought the two girls. He felt it being wrapped in something soft. He looked and noticed the two girls pushing their breasts against each other, wrapping him in between their breasts. They began to rub him softly and the two began to moan. Their movement began to increase slowly as more of his juices began to flow out. _NGH! I'm...! _His juices shot up, covering the girls with it. They looked and licked the substance covering their breasts. Leonsritt sighed in relief, but he looked and the girls gave a sly grin. This was just the beginning of a long night.

* * *

><p>Morning had struck and Tira woke up. She looked and noticed no one around. "Leo, my love! Where are you?" she asked, with no response. She got up and walked around, and no one was to be found.<p>

* * *

><p>Leonsritt and Cassandra had woken up, and noticed Tira sleeping. They quickly changed, picked up their weapons and left. Cassandra had looked at an exhausted Leonsritt. "Look, I had to do that because you two kept on fighting for me..." he said looking at Cassandra with tired eyes. "I'm sorry. I just couldn't help it," she said, fidgeting her fingers. "Well, whatever, but I'm not doing that anymore," he said, <em>I know it was really great and all but... ugh... <em>"But-" she began. "It was already a problem having some girl stalk me. And you getting jealous makes things worse," he said. "I mean, about you, me and her..." she said, blushing. "I have to admit, it was great..." he said, _like I had a choice_. Both of them stopped, turned around and looked at Tira. "Do you think we should just leave her there?" asked Cassandra. "Eh, better that than having her chase me again," he said and they both walked away.

* * *

><p>Tira had picked her weapon up and she looked in to the sky. She blushed at the thought of last night's event. "My love... how I want you with me again..." she said, blushing even more, feeling herself up. She stopped and thought about what to do. After a while, she made her decision. "I WILL SEARCH FOR MY DESTINED LOVE! I DON'T CARE WHAT IT TAKES! LEO! I'M COMING!" she shouted. And so she ran, to begin her own journey, to look for Leonsritt. One thing she was unaware of was, she was running in the wrong direction...<p>

* * *

><p>Leonsritt had explained to Hilde what had happened last night. Hilde was surprised at what she was hearing. "So, uh, yeah, that's what happened," he said turning around in shame. "Well, you did get rid of her. But was that really necessary?" she asked stepping back a bit. "Hey, first of all, both of them were frisky. Secondly, I was pissed about this. Third of all, I thought quickly. Lastly, I had no choice," he said, with and exhausted looked, "they friggin' drained me, for God's sake!" "But you know you enjoyed it!" said Cassandra in a matter-of-factly manner. "She doesn't need to know that!" he shouted. "Sorry..." she said. "Anyway, I solved it. So let's keep going," he said. Shaking off his exhausted feeling. "We'll be going through a mountain trail. We should be arriving towards a little village," said Hilde, pointing at the direction of the village. "Finally, I can't wait for a bed," said Cassandra, stretching. "Yeah, but how far are we from the village?" asked Leonsritt, placing his blade on his back. "Just passing through the mountain trail... we should arrive in 2 days, the most," said Hilde. "Heh. Cassandra won't be waiting for the bed," said Leonsritt, snickering. "Hey!" shouted Cassandra with a pout. "Just kidding," he smirked.<p>

Our heroes walked towards the mountain path to the next village.


	10. EX3 The Magical Music Box

_Author's Note: Daisuke Haoru here! it's time I put some humor in here (depends if you find it funny or not). But this is the first off-story chapter you see in this remake of the story. I do not own the listed songs in this chapter._

EX Chapter 3 – The Magical Music Box

Our heroes Leonsritt, Cassandra, and Hilde walked down the path to the Dark Capital of Ostrheinsburg. He took out the pouch of gold out of his pocket. "Man, how do we get more money?" asked Leonsritt. "I heard that some tournaments you sign up to can double your winnings," said Cassandra. "Back in Wolfkrone Kingdom, there was one held, shortly before you two arrived," said Hilde. "Man, we should've made it sooner," said Leonsritt, looking down in disappointment. He put the pouch back in his other pocket but noticed something else was in it. He grabbed the item and looked at it. "What the..." he said, "my iPod?" Cassandra and Hilde stopped and turned to look at Leonsritt. The two looked at the strange item Leonsritt held. "What is that?" asked the two, curiously looking at the music player. Leonsritt looked at them, "it's an iPod!" "Eye Pod?" asked Hilde, giving a confused look. "It's a music player," said Leonsritt. "Wow, that can play music?" asked Cassandra in astonishment. Hilde got up close to the iPod, "play a melody!" Leonsritt facepalmed in embarrassment. "No it doesn't work like that," he said, "look at this." he began to look for a certain song. The two girls were amazed at the technology Leonsritt handled. He grabbed his ear bud headphones and handed one to each of the girls. "What do we do with these?" asked Hilde. "Place it inside your ear," he said. Cassandra and Hilde looked at Leonsritt awkwardly. He gave up and walked to each one, placing the ear bud carefully on their ears. "Okay, you guys ready?" he asked. The two nodded and he played the following:

**Saria's Song (Great Bay Alt. BGM)  
><strong>**Koji Kondo  
><strong>**Super Smash Bros. Melee Original Soundtrack (Disc 2)**

The two girls began to listen and began to move steadily to the song. "This is great!" said Cassandra. "Can that magical music box play something else?" asked Hilde in excitement. "Let me see..." he said as he looked in his library. "NO! Don't change it!" said Cassandra, "I like this one! Leo was whistling it a few weeks ago!" Cassandra proceeded to whistle the melody. Leonsritt soon stopped the music and played the next track in his list:

**JENOVA Celestial (J-E-N-O-V-A)  
><strong>**Hy Bound  
><strong>**Final Fantasy VII: Voices of the Lifestream (Disc 2 ~ Dirge)**

The two were listening and they began to move to the beat. Leonsritt looked in embarrassment, trying to tell if they were trying to dance to the music or having a series of convulsions. "Um, are you guys okay?" asked Leonsritt. The two girls were way too into the music, ignoring him. He decided to change the track to:

**Around the World  
><strong>**Daft Punk  
><strong>**Discovery**

The two girls began to listen to the music and suddenly began to tap their feet to the beat. Leonsritt, while holding the iPod, began to walk, with the two following and walking to the beat. Hilde began to snap her fingers to the beat, with Cassandra nodding to it. Hilde began to freak (in the good way) as the song began to say "around the world." "Oh my God, Leonsritt, this is the best thing I've ever heard since... EVER!" she shouted, smiling. Cassandra stretched and began to sing along with Hilde. "This is the kind of music you listen to in your land?" asked Hilde. "Um, yeah, my, uh, land..." said Leonsritt, squinting.

* * *

><p>Hours went by and Cassandra and Hilde kept listening to to Leonsritt's iPod. He looked at the battery level, which seemed very strange for Leonsritt. <em>That's strange... It's been hours since it's been playing music<em>, he thought, _this should've been dead by now_. "Leonsritt, why'd the music stop?" asked Hilde. "Oh, sorry," he said and noticed the music was paused. The following song was now playing:

**Theme of Cody  
><strong>**Hideyuki Fukasawa  
><strong>**Super Street Fighter IV Original Soundtrack**

"This song makes me feel like singing now," said Cassandra. Leonsritt stopped in his tracks and turned to him. Hilde and Cassandra looked at him. "What?" asked Cassandra. "N-nothing," said Leonsritt, knowing well that Cassandra doesn't even know how to or even have the slightest idea of what rap is. He decided to change the track to the one with lyrics:

**Super Street Fighter IV EVO 2K10 Finals Intro  
><strong>**redrapper, Hideyuki Fukasawa  
>-<strong>

"Oooh," said the two girls as they heard the song. "Leo, where did you get this?" asked Cassandra. "I got it as a gift from my father," said Leonsritt. He must be a really good sorcerer if he made that magical music box," said Hilde. "Yeah, he is," he said, chuckling nervously, _when he actually got it for me at Best Buy for my birthday..._

* * *

><p>It was night and Leonsritt lied down and closed his eyes, with Hilde sleeping to his left and Cassandra to his right. The two girls woke up and looked at Leonsritt. "Hey..." said Cassandra, nudging his side. "Wake up," said Hilde, also nudging him. He opened his eyes and looked at the two girls. "What is it?" he asked. The girls were pleading him to let them listen to his iPod to sleep. After 5 minutes of begging, he agreed. He grabbed his iPod and began searching for a song. He found the perfect one and played it:<p>

**Dearly Beloved -Reprise-  
><strong>**Shinko Ogata  
><strong>**Kingdom Hearts Original Soundtrack Complete (Disc 6 ~ Kingdom Hearts II)**

Cassandra and Hilde yawned and fell asleep. He didn't mind Cassandra laying down on his chest, but he noticed Hilde too. _Lucky me... _he thought and went to sleep.

* * *

><p><em>Wait a sec... how'd my iPod end up here?<em>


	11. Manji Clan's Assault

Chapter 7 – Manji Clan's Assault

Back on track after the Tira incident, our heroes Leonsritt, Cassandra, and Hilde walk the long path to the Dark Capital of Ostrheinsburg. Hilde had been telling Leonsritt and Cassandra about how fascinating it is to travel. "Wow, just traveling like this is great. I mean, imagine. More crazy adventures we'll have," she said, looking around in amazement. "Uh, Hilde. Calm down. I know we're traveling to find a cure for your father, getting this shard off me and all other sorts of stuff," said Leonsritt, scratching his head. "But Leo, she's right. You never know what might happen. That's what makes an adventure so exciting," Cassandra pointed out, with the same face of excitement. "Yeah, okay. You win," said Leonsritt smiling. They kept walking and they arrived on the mountain path. "Hey, Hilde, you said that there's a village after crossing this path, right?" asked Leonsritt. "Yes. Are you in need of something?" asked Hilde. "No, it's just that if we had a bike, we would be getting there a lot faster..." he said, crossing his arms. "What's a 'bike'?" asked Cassandra. "Oh... uh... well, it's a transportation device that you use to get around places," explained Leonsritt. The two girls had a blank expression on their faces. "Never heard of it," said the two simultaneously. _Damn, these guys don't know what a bike is..._ he thought, _I forgot I'm in the 17__th__ century... _"This 'bike' you say, can take us anywhere?" asked Hilde. Leonsritt was about to answer but a bicycle landed on him. The girls backed away, and two more landed on him. "Oww, what the hell?" said Leonsritt as he pushed the bikes off of him. Hilde and Cassandra looked at the bikes, with their weapons at ready. "What are those things?" asked Hilde, preparing for a strike. "Don't worry, I'll take care of them!" shouted Cassandra. "Stop!" shouted Leonsritt as he dusted himself. She stopped and Leonsritt picked up one of the bikes. "This thing, ladies, is a bike," he said, picking up a bike and taking it to them. "Where'd they come from?" asked Hilde. "I don't know but that hurt!" said Leonsritt, rubbing his back. Leonsritt got on it and rode it around the girls. "So, you guys are gonna learn how to ride a bike," said Leonsritt, as he rode around them. "Okay!" said Cassandra as she ran to one of the bikes, "Hilde, come on!" Hilde crossed her arms in doubt. "Unless you want to walk the rest of the way," said Leonsritt stopping right in front of her. "Alright." agreed Hilde as she walked to the last bike.

* * *

><p><p>

After just a few hours of him teaching the girls, both of them had learned how to handle the bikes, and rode down the mountain path. "So, how are you guys enjoying the bikes?" asked Leonsritt. "Wow! The breeze feels nice!" said Cassandra. "How about you Hilde?" he asked. "This is more fun than being in a carriage!" said Hilde. Leonsritt slowed down a bit and let the two girls ahead of him. He smiled and looked at Cassandra. _Wow... I never thought i'd be like this with any other girl..._ he thought and blushed. Halfway down the mountain trail, they found a camping spot. All three set up camp near a river flowing through the mountain path and rested. "Hey, Hilde. Set up the fire and all, please," said Leonsritt. "Sure," answered Hilde. "Cassandra, come with me," he said and began walking towards the river. Without another word, Cassandra followed Leonsritt. The two had reached the river and sat near the flowing water. "Hey, I got something I wanna ask you..." he began. There was a long moment of silence between the two. "Okay... I know this'll sound depressing," he continued as he held her hand, "but if there would be a time when I will go, and never come back... what will you do...?" Cassandra looked down in silence. "Leo..." she said, "I don't want you to leave me." She held on his hand tightly.

"Look, if that were to happen..." he said, and he lifted his arm with the red bangle. Cassandra looked at him with her eyes shining bright with the moonlight. Leonsritt had noticed her eyes and he placed his hand on her face, caressing her cheek. She closed her eyes. He looked at his hand, at the bangle. He removed it and grabbed Cassandra's left arm.

"If that ever happens, don't cry. I will always be there..."

He placed the bangle on her left wrist, and she leaned on his chest. He embraced her tightly. "Cassandra, you and I have been together for a little while, now..." he said. "I'm happy to be yours," said Cassandra, as she adjusted herself on his chest. The moment was soon interrupted by swords clashing, and people fighting. "Oh, no! Hilde!" said Leonsritt, as he stood up and turned to the direction of the campsite, "let's go!" Cassandra got up and the two ran towards the campsite. The two arrived and Hilde was fighting off some people dressed like ninjas, with flags on their backs. Leonsritt chucked his blade at some of them and backed off. He ran to Hilde's aide. "You okay, Hilde?" he asked as Hilde gripped her weapon. "Yes, I am!" she replied and the three looked around at the surrounding enemies. "Leo, what do we do...?" asked Cassandra as she gripped her sword and shield. _These guys seem very familiar..._ he thought, "hold on..." The leader soon appeared, with Leonsritt recognizing him. "Yoshimitsu... Leader of the Manji Clan...," he said, pointing his blade at him, "why did your clan attack Princess Hildegard...?" "She's of royalty. And I am one who steals from the rich to help the poor..." said the leader of the Manji Clan. "Yeah, but that doesn't mean that you should just attack her! What if she had nothing?" he snarled. "Quiet, you! You possess a Soul Edge shard! You must die!" shouted Yoshimitsu. "Ngh, there's no getting through you!" said Leonsritt, glaring at him.

"Repent!"

Leonsritt and Yoshimitsu crossed swords, with Hilde and Cassandra fighting of the other members of the Manji Clan. Minutes have passed and Leonsritt kept fighting Yoshimitsu. Leonsritt was tired, and Yoshimitsu kept healing himself with meditation. _What the hell... as much as I hit him, he heals himself_, he thought "Namu..." said Yoshimitsu. Leonsritt swung his blade at Yoshimitsu with force, sending him into the air. Yoshimitsu recovered in midair and spun his blade like a helicopter. "TAKE THIS!" shouted Leonsritt and he threw his blade at Yoshimitsu. He landed and dashed at Leonsritt. "TRY THIS ON FOR SIZE!" shouted Leonsritt as he threw a punch at Yoshimitsu. He disappeared and appeared behind him. "Hara..." began Yoshimitsu. Leonsritt knew what he was going to do, but it was too late. "Kiri!" shouted Yoshimitsu. There was silence. Cassandra and Hilde turned to the two. Yoshimitsu drew the blade from Leonsritt. He fell to his knees and his body began to spew out blood.

"Retribution!"

Yoshimitsu flicked the blood off his blade and he placed it back on its sheath. "LEO!" shouted Hilde and Cassandra in horror. "I have defeated the evil one. We, the Manji Clan, have succeeded once again," said Yoshimitsu. The two girls ran to the dying boy. "Stay with me, Leo!" she shouted and began to cry. "Cassandra... don't... cry..." said Leonsritt, "Don't... cry... because..." Soul Edge's aura healed the wound from the sword. Leonsritt stood up from the puddle of blood, and Yoshimitsu had prepared to attack once more. "... because it's gonna take more than that to kill me," said Yoshimitsu. Leonsritt had transformed into his Demon form. Yoshimitsu attacked, but his attacks failed. They both crossed swords once again and fought till both we're exhausted. "You... why do you fight?" asked Yoshimitsu. "Because, I fight for those I care for..." he said. The two shoved each other away. "Yet you are one with the dark power. Do you not understand what it can do to you..." said Yoshimitsu. "I don't care about that... I fight to protect... Not to destroy..." said Leonsritt as the two fighters crossed blades once again. "I don't care what happens to me, I'll use this power to protect them. EVEN IF I DIE!"

_This boy... he would sacrifice himself even if the evil in that shard would consume him..._

They stopped power struggling. Yoshimitsu had called off the clan members. The girls had put down their weapons, and walked towards the two. "I do apologize for our attack," said Yoshimitsu, as he bowed in forgiveness. "APOLOGIZE! YOU KILLED ME!" shouted Leonsritt, shaking his fist at him, "well, almost." "I am so sorry..." said Yoshimitsu, bowing again. "Fine, but you owe me big time..." replied Leonsritt crossing his arms. "Yes, I am deeply sorry. As a token of apology, we'll take you to our hideout up here," said Yoshimitsu. "Hideout, you say?" asked the three with their brows up. "Yes, so come with us," said Yoshimitsu.

Yoshimitsu had grabbed his katana and spun it like a helicopter. Leonsritt had grabbed each girl's hand. "Get ready girls!" he said. He jumped and, to their surprise, he floated up to the Manji Clan's base. Following Yoshimitsu, they entered a cavern. It was a little cold but they then entered a hidden temple, where they had seen a lot of Manji Clan members in training. Yoshimitsu had ordered them to line up and greet the three of them. "You all have been greeted by us, the people of the Manji Clan," said Yoshimitsu. "Uh, yeah, you know we were supposed to be going to a village..." said Leonsritt. "Yeah, I wanted to sleep in a bed!" shouted Cassandra. Hilde looked at Cassandra with a glare. "We're traveling because we're to find a cure for my father," said Hilde. "You better have a bed!" shouted Cassandra, and Hilde nudged at her side with her elbow. "As our apology, you can rest here for the night, seeing as how your friend needs a bed," said Yoshimitsu. "Thank you!" jumped Cassandra happily. "Okay..." said Leonsritt nervously.

* * *

><p><p>

The three of them were lead to some rooms. They noticed the décor inside, and were impressed by this. Cassandra had gone into Leonsritt's room, Hilde had gone into her own, and Leonsritt had rested on his bed, with Cassandra at his side. Leonsritt had looked around, as Cassandra sat up and looked around as well. He then had looked at Cassandra. "You know, it was actually a good idea that you mentioned the beds and all," he said, patting her head. "Well, I wanted to sleep in one, you know," she pouted. Leonsritt had a thought that crossed his mind. "Hey, Cassandra..." he said looking at her. "What is it?" asked Cassandra. "Do you... ever miss your home...?" he asked chuckling nervously. There was a long silence between them. "Yeah... I do... but why ask me this all of a sudden...?" she asked, looking curiously at him. "Because, I miss my home, too," he said. A sudden emotion of sadness overcame him, about not being home, but he knew that if he wanted to get out, then to look for the two people he's searching for, Ivy and Siegfried.

* * *

><p><p>

Cassandra had fallen asleep and Leonsritt walked out of his room. He found two Manji Clan members guarding the rooms. He walked up to the two guards and they turned to him. "Hey, take me to Yoshimitsu," he said. Without an answer, they both nodded and took Leonsritt to Yoshimitsu. He saw Yoshimitsu training and walked up to him. "Leonsritt, what is it that you need...?" asked the Manji Clan leader. "I need to talk to you... in private..." said Leonsritt. Yoshimitsu had looked at the two members and signaled them to return to their posts. As the two left, Leonsritt cleared his throat. "Look, I know that I have the Soul Edge shard on my arm," said Leonsritt lifting the sleeve, and now noticed that the top part of his arm had now turned into a purplish, black color. "Young man... you must hurry to remove this shard off your body," he said with a tone of concern, "if this keeps going, you will lose your sanity, and not just that, but also..." Yoshimitsu turned. "I see... but why of all people did I get this in me...?" he asked as he put his sleeve down. "You are of another world, are you not?" asked Yoshimitsu. "How did you know...?" asked Leonsritt. "People from other worlds do get a shard in their bodies and there's no explanation of why they do..." said Yoshimitsu, "two warriors are an exception. A young man who carried a sword and shield, and a man who wielded an ax, seeking forgiveness. And to remove it from your body, the influence of Soul Calibur is the only way."

"That's the thing, where can I find Siegfr-"

Swords clashing were heard from a distance. Somebody had found the Manji Clan hideout, and both Leonsritt and Yoshimitsu had gone outside to see. Manji Clan members were taken out and the two had checked to see who had done this. Leonsritt approached one of the members on the ground. "Who did this to you...?" asked Leonsritt. "A... man... with... the essence of Soul Edge... a vampire..." said the weakened guard. "Vampire?" he shouted, realizing who he mentioned. "Leonsritt, what's wrong?" asked Yoshimitsu. "Yoshimitsu, we gotta get to Hilde and Cassandra! Raphael's here!" said Leonsritt.

"Let's go!"

The two ran to the rooms that Yoshimitsu gave to Leonsritt and the girls. They arrived at the hallway to find a tall, blonde man with a long cape holding Hilde and Cassandra knocked out cold.

"LET THEM GO!"

Leonsritt had lunged to this man, ready to deliver a punch, but this man moved away and Leonsritt missed. He disappeared and laughed. "Dammit!" grunted Leonsritt. "Young man, we must go after them," said Yoshimitsu. He nodded and grabbed his steel paddle. _Raphael, you bastard!_ he thought, _you're not getting away with this_.

Leonsritt had known about Raphael, a Spaniard who is slowly losing himself to Soul Edge. He had somehow obtained the abilities of a vampire, due to the influences of Soul Edge. Leonsritt followed Yoshimitsu and they both reached the path that Leonsritt and the girls were following. The two dashed with some Manji Clan members following them. "Yoshimitsu, where does Raphael reside? Do you know?" asked Leonsritt. "It is most likely that he is heading to Sorel Castle..." said Yoshimitsu. "Damn! We gotta get there before he does!" shouted Leonsritt, picking up the pace.

* * *

><p><p>

They stopped at a village. Leonsritt and Yoshimitsu had seen people out of their houses, crying and desperately looking for something, as if they lost someone. He walked to a person near him. "Hey, what happened?" he asked. "My... my daughter! Someone took my daughter!" said the distressed man. _Raphael... what the hell are you up to?_ thought Leonsritt, "Don't worry... I'll find her!" Yoshimitsu had approached a few people and then walked towards Leonsritt. He gave Leonsritt some info. Apparently, Hilde and Cassandra weren't the only ones taken, some young women were taken as well from this village. Leonsritt was angered, and Yoshimitsu had gathered the people in one place. They all looked at Leonsritt, and without any other things in mind, he spoke. "People who reside in this village. I know young women have been taken from here. Not just that, someone has taken my two companions away from me. But, I swear I will return them to you, no matter what the cost may be, even if it's my life!" "Who is the culprit who did this to us?" asked one of the villagers. "He is Raphael Sorel. He was the one who did it. Whatever he's thinking of doing, we'll stop him," said Leonsritt, reassuring them all. The crowd of people had been struck in fear of the name, Raphael Sorel. Leonsritt had assumed that Raphael had already threatened this village. The moonlight shone down on the village, and Leonsritt turned to see a castle overlooking the village. One of the villagers had told them that the castle up there belongs to Raphael. Later on, Yoshimitsu had walked up to Leonsritt, and he handed him a sort of map. "I got this from one of the villagers," said Yoshimitsu, "it seems that one of the children has once gone into the castle and retrieved this map."

"Alright, let's go."

Leonsritt and Yoshimitsu went out and headed to Sorel Castle. But what are Raphael's motives? Is he planning something with the women he's captured? There was only one way to find out.


	12. EX4 Princess's Fantasy

EX Chapter 4 – A Princess's Fantasy

Hilde rode along with Cassandra and Leonsritt. _I can't believe Cassandra found someone like him_, she thought, _someone who loves her and she loves back._ Hilde looked down, blushing. If only I would've met him earlier, she thought. After the events of the Manji Clan encounter, she was given a room. She sat on the bed and looked at the wall. She then lied down and look at the ceiling. _I can't believe he would do that_, said Hilde. She closed her eyes and remembered the event she witnessed a few weeks ago.

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><p>Hilde did what she was told and walked towards the campsite. I can't believe those two are fighting for him, she thought. She felt embarrassed that Tira and Cassandra were fighting for Leonsritt. She turned around and decided to see what he was up to. She hid behind a tree, as she looked at where the three were. She began to see that the three weren't fighting at all, rather they were doing something else.<p>

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><p> / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /|

/ / / / / / / / WARNING / / / / / / /|

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / |

N-no... way... she thought. She saw that he was playing with the two. She heard the loud moans coming from the two girls. What's going on? She wondered. She kept observing the event. Cassandra placed herself on Leonsritt. Hilde looked as her breathing began to get heavy. Her eyes began to look in lust. I... I can't help myself... she thought. Hilde began to feel entranced by what was going on. She began to breathe even more. Her hand began to move down on her. Her body began to feel hot, something she's felt for the first time. She began to play with herself softly. She began to let out small moans, covering her mouth, muffling them out. Her body began to move on its own as her hand kept rubbing her. Her knees began to give out and she kneeled. As she saw the two girls moaning with Leonsritt jamming his fingers into both of them, she began to rub herself a lot more. Her other hand began to play with her breasts and she began to moan a lot more. "L... Leonsritt..." she said, as her hand went under her panties. She began to slowly put her fingers inside of her, feeling herself inside. She felt her juices beginning to flow out of her. As she began to jam her fingers inside herself, she pinched her breasts, as if someone was biting them.

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><p>She kept playing with herself, as she now imagined Leonsritt on her body. She undressed herself, revealing her beautifully slender body. She jammed her fingers deeply as she imagined Leonsritt thrusting it into her. She began to moan as she used her blouse to muffle them out. <em>Leonsritt<em>, she thought, _I... I want to be yours too_. She spread her legs open even more as she imagined Leonsritt thrusting it deeply in her. She kept calling his name out, thinking about him. She played with her breasts even more until she reached her limit. She felt her juices come out of her, with her hand covered in them. She looked at her hand and licked her own juices off of it. "Leonsritt..." she said, and she closed her eyes.

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><p><em>Ah... ACHOO! … Oh, man, someone out there must be thinking of me... I hope it's not Tira...<em>

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><p>She put her clothes back on and she lied back down. She closed her eyes as she began to catch her breath from what she did. <em>I'm jealous of you, Cassandra... <em>she thought. She heard the door open and she sat up, she looked at the figure, but it wasn't either Cassandra or Leonsritt. The figure dashed towards her and she felt a hit on her neck. She felt as if she was falling. She closed her eyes and lost consciousness.

She opened her eyes, only to find herself tied up, with Cassandra next to her, struggling to get out of the ropes. "What's going on? Where are we?" asked Hilde, looking around. They weren't the only one's in there. "I don't know, but we know we may be in danger..." said Cassandra, giving up on escaping the ropes. Young girls were terrified, as some were whimpering. _Leonsritt, where are you..._ thought Hilde, _we need you... I need you..._ Deep down inside, Hilde wanted him to rescue her...

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><p><em>Wait for me Cassandra... Wait for me Hilde... I'll save you both...<em>


	13. Assault on Sorel Castle

Chapter 8 – Assault on Sorel Castle

Leonsritt, now joined by Yoshimitsu and a small group of Manji Clan members, run towards the dark path to Sorel Castle. Having Hilde and Cassandra captured along with a group of young women, Raphael's motives are unclear. Through the night, Leonsritt and the others move to the castle. Yoshimitsu and the Manji Clan members stopped and huddled around. Leonsritt had walked to them. "Yoshimitsu, what is it?" he asked, joining in. "Looking at the structure of the castle on this map, there has to be a way to get in. We can't just walk in through the front door," said Yoshimitsu, " but to our luck, it seems that in this map, he marked the spot on where to get in..." They all looked into the map and on the left side of the map, there was an X marked on the castle walls. "Alright, so here's what we do..." said Leonsritt, and the two started planning on the break-in.

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><p><p>

Raphael had tied Hilde and Cassandra and had closed them in a room where some young girls had been tied up. "WHAT ARE YOU PLANNING TO DO WITH US?" shouted Cassandra. "Heh, I want to know who will make a great pet for Amy," said Raphael, as he walked to the door. "A PET?" snarled Cassandra. He turned to Hilde and walked to her. "But you, my dear princess..." he said. He got near her neck and sniffed her. "Maybe you'll become my slave," said the man. "As if I will ever be..." said Hilde and she delivered a headbutt. "You..." snarled Raphael. He delivered a backhand, and Hilde felt the hit. She fell to her side and all the girls whimpered in fear. "You are a feisty one, are you? I'll deal with you later!" he said. Raphael slammed the door behind him. Hilde and Cassandra had struggled to get off the ropes. Cassandra moved to Hilde. "Hey are you alright?" she asked her. "I'm... I'm fine..." she said, hiding the mark with her hair. "Cassandra, it's useless. We can't break free..." said Hilde. "No, we gotta get out of here..." said Cassandra, struggling again. "But we can't... and the rest of the girls can't break free either..." said Hilde, trying to hide the pain. Cassandra had seen all the girls around. They were all crying, and Cassandra had stopped struggling. Hilde looked at Cassandra. "Leonsritt's most likely on his way, with Yoshimitsu," said Hilde, as the pain on her cheek began to calm down. Cassandra sat quietly. _Leo..._ she thought.

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><p><p>

"Alright, we're in!" Leonsritt looked around. He signaled a group of Manji Clan members to follow Yoshimitsu to one hall. Leonsritt had another group of Manji Clan members follow him to the other side of the hall. They all had been cautious of their surroundings. "Alright, as we planned, we're gonna keep breaking into groups. So we reached this hallway," said Leonsritt, as he pointed the location on the map, "you two come with me, as for you three, go on over there." The Manji Clan members had signaled a yes to Leonsritt. "Hold on though," he said. He tore the map in half and gave the Manji Clan group one half. They split and followed the designated route.

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><p><p>

"You think he may use us as his slaves?" asked Cassandra. "Cassandra, don't even think that!" said Hilde. "You never know..." said Cassandra. "You are hopeless..." said Hilde, looking down in disappointment.

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><p><p>

"Hey, you hear that?" asked Leonsritt. Stone was scratching. Leonsritt and the Manji Clan members had a bad feeling. They looked around and saw nothing, but the sound was getting louder. "You fools... you think that you can stop me...?" said Raphael, his voice echoing in the halls. "RAPHAEL! WHERE ARE YOU?" shouted Leonsritt. "YOU'RE NOT GETTING OUT OF HERE ALIVE, YOU FOOLISH MORTALS!" said Raphael. Leonsritt and the others were looking around, and a giant ax landed on the ground. "WHAT THE HELL?" shouted Leonsritt as he dodge rolled out of the way. A giant knight statue had moved from its pedestal. It was swinging the ax everywhere, with the three dodging its attacks.

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><p><p>

"Come on, Hilde," insisted Cassandra. "You need help..." said Hilde, looking away. "But what can we do when we're tied up?" she asked. "Stop it! I am NOT going to challenge you to a staring contest!" said Hilde, turning her body around. "Boo..." said Cassandra.

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><p><p>

"STORM VIPER!" shouted Leonsritt. Leonsritt had broken one of the giant statue's arms. The two Manji Clan members had knocked the weapon off its other hand. "No sweat," he said. The three had ran towards the statue and kicked it, knocking it down and breaking it. "Alright!" he shouted. It was too early to celebrate. More statues were moving towards them. "What the hell, man...?" he grunted. "YOU AREN'T GETTING OUT OF THIS ALIVE AT ALL!" said Raphael. "Watch us, you vampire freak!" shouted Leonsritt, as he charged to the statues.

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><p><p>

"... and did I tell you that I once almost fell into the oven? It happened on..." said Cassandra, remembering the story. "Seriously, Cassandra, you need help..." said Hilde, trying to ignore her. "... and I also almost started a fire in my bakery, all because..." she kept going.

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><p><p>

"Guh... Raphael, you bastard..." said Leonsritt, panting. The statues had worn the three fighters out. The statues raised their weapons and froze. They broke to pieces. Yoshimitsu had landed in front of Leonsritt. "Go look for the girls. We will take care of our comrades!" shouted the Manji Clan leader. "Right!" responded Leonsritt. He ran towards the hallway and found some doors. He kicked each door open, but nothing inside. He ran and went inside the Great Hall. He walked until he saw a figure of a man standing in the middle of the Great Hall. "Well, well... The fool made it this far..." said the Spaniard, slowly clapping. "What did you do with Cassandra? And Hilde?" he snarled"That pretty redheaded woman? Well, let us say that she met a horrible fate..." _NO... Hilde... you can't be...!_ he thought. "As for the blonde one... She became mine..." said Raphael, giving Leonsritt a sickening grin. _No... YOU BASTARD! _"But you... I see now... None of those girls are good enough to become Amy's pet..." said Raphael, unsheathing his rapier, "but you... I think you'll become the perfect one for my Amy..." "You..." snarled Leonsritt, gripping his blade in rage, "YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Leonsritt dashed at Raphael. He swung his steel paddle at him but he disappeared. Leonsritt had felt a kick and fell to the floor. Raphael had kicked him on the gut, and Leonsritt got back up on his feet. Raphael had walked to Leonsritt and jabbed him with rapier. Leonsritt had blocked this but his guard was broken, and felt a kick to his chest, causing him to fall on his knees... "Hah. You will become Amy's pet... Now, you will be a good boy and surrender..."

"No... There's... ugh... no way I'm becoming... someone's plaything..."

"Insolent fool..."

Raphael kicked him down again. Leonsritt had let go of his steel paddle and tried to reach it, but Raphael pierced his hand to the ground with his rapier. Leonsritt winced in pain. Raphael grabbed him by his hair and pulled his head. "Obey me, you dog..." said Raphael, as he applied pressure on his back with his foot. "GRAAHHHH!" Leonsritt had turned in to his Demon form. His hand had slid on the blade, reaching the hand guard and grabbed Raphael, throwing him into the air. Raphael had landed safely and Leonsritt had thrown the rapier to Raphael. He caught the rapier and pointed it at Leonsritt. "So you bear a Soul Edge shard, do you, dog?" asked the Spaniard. Leonsritt snarled and began to attack Raphael. He dodged his attacks and retaliated, knocking him to the floor several times. Leonsritt got back up and had kept attacking him. It was useless. Leonsritt had stopped and reverted to his normal self. He kneeled, trying to catch his breath. "What is it...? Are you finally giving in? What a fool..." said Raphael as he walked to the exhausted Leonsritt. "Leonsritt... I knew you would need help one day..." someone had said. Leonsritt had recognized this voice. He stood up and saw a figure in a stance. It was Taki, as he was surprised to see her. "Taki..." he said. "Come on, Leonsritt..." she said as she stood in her stance. "How dare you intrude in here, you meaningless witch?" snarled Raphael. "Huh, big talk from a weak fool!" said Taki. Leonsritt stood up and gripped his blade. "Taki, you ready?" he asked the kunoichi. She nodded and the two faced the Spaniard. "Let's do this!" shouted Leonsritt. Taki and Leonsritt had begun attacking Raphael, as he deflected their attacks, but had soon lowered his guard down, allowing both Taki and Leonsritt to take him down quickly, but he retaliated. Taki and Leonsritt had backed off and ran to opposite sides of Raphael.

"You think that your little tactics can stop me?"

"Heh, you ain't seen nothing yet!"

Leonsritt tossed his steel paddle towards Raphael. It spun, but had missed its target. Raphael had dashed to Leonsritt, but Taki had appeared behind Raphael, kicking him in the back. Raphael stumbled and Leonsritt had delivered a low punch towards his gut. Raphael had spat out blood and fell to his knees. Raphael had swung his rapier towards Leonsritt, cutting skin on his arm. Leonsritt had stepped on his shoulder and kicked him right on his jaw. Taki had come from above, kicking him down to the ground completely. Taki had picked up Leonsritt's steel paddle and threw it at him, with Leonsritt catching it. "Raphael... you..." he said. He felt the intent of killing. His lust for blood began to grow. Leonsritt raised his sword, aiming at Raphael's head. "YOU BASTARD!" he snarled. He dropped the blade but Taki had stopped him from completely decapitating Raphael. "Leonsritt, don't..." said Taki, pushing the blade again. "But he..." began Leonsritt. "Do you want the evil in that shard to take over you?" asked Taki. He stopped and put his blade down. He turned and kicked Raphael back. He landed far from them and stood up. "You... fool... how dare... you..." he coughed.

"Raphael, that's enough..."

Taki and Leonsritt had turned to where the voice came from. A young woman with a small black frilled dress, red hair with curled pigtails, and pale skin had appeared. "A-Amy!" said Raphael. Taki and Leonsritt had prepared their weapons. Amy had made a gesture with her hand, telling them to put their weapons down. Amy snapped her fingers and two maids came into the Great Hall. "Jacqueline. Marienbard. Tie Raphael up and take him to the torture room..." said the young woman. "Yes, madam..." they replied, and the maids did what they were told to do. Amy had turned to Taki and Leonsritt. "I am truly sorry for what my stepfather has done to you," said the young woman. "Don't worry about it, yet we still need to find the girls, don't we Taki?" he asked, but Taki was nowhere to be found. Amy had approached Leonsritt.

"May I see your arm?"

"Uh, sure..."

Amy had a bandage on her hand and wrapped it around his arm. Due to her short stature, Leonsritt had looked at her cleavage. _Aw, man. I shouldn't have let her see my arm..._ he thought as he blushed. "There, now as for the young women my stepfather captured..." she said. "Uh, yeah... where are they?" he asked. Amy walked and Leonsritt followed. He was led to a room, and all the girls had looked at Leonsritt. Cassandra and Hilde had been happy to see him. "Am I glad to see you guys okay!" he shouted in relief. "Thanks, Am-" he said but Amy was nowhere to be found, yet there was a red ribbon on his hand with a piece of paper. He put it in his pocket and walked into the room. He untied all of the girls, and with Yoshimitsu now present, he led the girls out of the castle. Leonsritt untied Hilde and Cassandra, and they all ran out of the castle. With that out of the way, everyone had reached the village. Families reunited with the missing girls and as for Yoshimitsu, he had left with the Manji Clan members back to their hideout. "Hey, Hilde. Are you alright?" he asked. She hid the mark on her face and quickly thought of the answer. "Yeah, just tell Cassandra to never do that again... Please?" she said. "Do what?" he wondered. "Um, I kinda made her listen to my stories, and she kept turning my staring challenge down..." she explained. "Hilde come on!" said Cassandra. "NO!" she shouted. "Fine..." replied Cassandra.

The village elder had approached the three. The village elder had given them the village's gratitude for the heroic rescue of the captured girls in the form of 3000 gold pieces. The three had stayed for the night, having a good night's rest. The next morning, Everyone had began to leave the village. They all walked heading down the same path to the Dark Capital of Ostrheinsburg. Leonsritt looked at his arm. Cassandra and Hilde stopped and looked at him. "Are you okay Leonsritt?" asked Hilde. He looked at the two girls, with their faces of concern. "No, I'm fine," said Leonsritt. He looked at the sky and his thoughts were now clouded with the events that triggered his blood lust. "What the hell is wrong with me...?" he asked himself. The girls kept walking down the path, as he had a bad feeling of what's going to happen in the next few days.

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><p><p>

_Soon... I will finally begin to take these foolish mortals' souls... and then the world..._


	14. EX5 A Dream Come True

EX Chapter 5 – A Dream Come True...

The three had stopped the same night after they left the village. Hilde had thought of getting the water near the river by herself. "Are you sure you want to go alone?" asked Cassandra. "Yes, I am..." said Hilde. "No, let me-" said Leonsritt. "I'm fine!" she said and she ran to the river. "Leo..." said Cassandra. "I'll be back," he said. "But wait..." said Cassandra. He turned to Cassandra. "I know what she feels..." she said, "I noticed..." Leonsritt looked at her. "I understand..." she said. "What are you saying...?" he asked. Cassandra walked to him and began to whisper in his ear...

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><p>Hilde cried as she kneeled by the river. Leonsritt walked up to her. "Hey..." he said approaching the princess. She turned to him and she hid her face. "Are you okay?" he asked. "I... I'm fine..." she said. "No..." he insisted. She stood up and she turned to him, with her hair covering half her face. Leonsritt approached her and pushed her hair away, revealing the bruise on her face. "It was Raphael, wasn't it...?" he asked. Tears began to run down her face. She began to feel happy as she felt his hand on her face. "Leonsritt... I..." she began. She looked down as she rested herself on him. "I... love you..." said Hilde and she threw herself at him. Her lips locked on his. The young princess embraced him, as he began to caress her face. She felt his hands hold her waist, as the two let go. "No... I'm sorry..." said Hilde as she turned, "I'm really sorry, Leo. This can't be..." Leonsritt walked to her. "I know how you feel about me, Hilde," said Leonsritt, "Cassandra told me..." Hilde turned to him. "But you belong to her..." she said. "He does..." said Cassandra, as she walked to the two, "but, I want you to be happy, too." Cassandra walked to Hilde and grabbed her. Cassandra began to play with her, as Hilde struggled to get out of Cassandra's hold. "H-hey, wait a sec! We didn't agree to that, Cassandra!" shouted Leonsritt. Hilde calmed down as Leonsritt approached her. He began to grab Cassandra's arms. "Come on, Cassandra, let her go," said Leonsritt. As Hilde felt his body against hers, she began to breathe heavily. Her face became flustered, as he noticed that Hilde began to press herself against him. She locked lips with him once again. Cassandra began to undress Hilde and herself as their bodies became hot.<p>

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><p><em><strong>You guys know you were waiting for that...<strong>_

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><p>Cassandra undid her vest and took off her blouse. Leonsritt began to undress himself as well. Hilde began to feel his built body. Her breasts were fondled by Cassandra. Their supple bodies were now on Leonsritt as the three began to play with each other's tongues. Cassandra grabbed Hilde's hand and led it down on Leonsritt. "I'll show you something, Hilde..." said Cassandra. The two girls began to play with him, and licked it. Leonsritt began to let out small moans. Cassandra felt his fingers inside of her. Hilde licked him softly as her saliva covered it. She felt fingers going inside of her and let out small moans. She looked at Leonsritt and saw that he was moving his fingers inside both of them. The two girls sucked and kissed him until he let out his juices, covering their faces. Hilde licked some of it off her cheek. "It's so... warm..." she said. Cassandra held Hilde by her waist and moved her by his waist. "We're not done..." said Cassandra with a mischievous face. She looked at him and her breathing got heavier. She slowly placed herself on Leonsritt and it slid inside of her. She moaned and whimpered in pain. "Oh... Hilde are you alright?" asked Leonsritt as she held Hilde by her waist. The redhead smiled and she got near him. "I am..." she answered. She began to move slowly as she moaned. Cassandra moved to Leonsritt and she let him suck on her breasts. Hilde noticed as she moved her hips more. <em>My dreams... <em>thought Hilde, _It's come true... to do this with Leonsritt... _she let herself go from everything and have her lust take over. Hilde began to jam her fingers inside Cassandra. She moaned loudly as Leonsritt and Hilde played with her. Cassandra turned to her and began to suck on her breasts. "N-no! I'm too sensitive," said Hilde, as her hips began to move a little faster. Cassandra felt her sensitive spot being played with. The two girls moaned loudly. "NGH! Hilde, I'm...!" he shouted. "Please, Leo, do it inside me!" shouted Hilde. The two girls and Leonsritt let their juices out. Hilde lied on Leonsritt as it slid out of her. Cassandra licked Hilde's and Leonsritt's juices from Hilde, licking her sensitive spot. Cassandra looked at Hilde with an even more mischievous look. "I'm just getting started..." said Cassandra. Leonsritt got behind Cassandra, sliding it inside of her. She moaned as she kept licking Hilde. Hilde moaned loudly as Cassandra felt Leonsritt pound on her. Cassandra couldn't hold Hilde's legs from all the pleasure she felt. Hilde held on to Cassandra's hands and began to suck on Cassandra's breasts. "N-no... Hilde!" she shouted. Hilde kept sucking on her breasts until Leonsritt unloaded inside of her. Leonsritt lied down and the two placed their breasts around him. _It feels too good... _he thought, _if they keep this up, then I'll... _Cassandra and Hilde played with each others' breasts, playing with him in between them, until his juices squirted out, covering their breasts. The two girls licked it off and the went to him. Cassandra rested herself on Leonsritt. Hilde went up to Leonsritt and kissed him one more time. "Thank you... Leo..." said Hilde, closing her eyes.

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><p><em>Just how do I get myself in these kinds of things...?<em>


	15. Drowning in Darkness

Chapter 9 – Drowning in Darkness

It's been a few days since the three heroes left the village Leonsritt helped. The one thought that hasn't escaped his mind was the blood lust he felt that night. The marking on his arm now turned into a brown skin tone and hardening skin. Its form had been starting to look similar to a certain someone's arm, slowly transforming in to that arm. The next morning, the group had packed and began to head to the Dark Capital of Ostrheinsburg. A few hours passed, he began to feel exhausted. "Hey, are you alright?" asked Hilde. "No, I'm fine..." he said. The girls looked at him with concern. "Leo, I think you should rest," said Cassandra. "I'm fine, seriously..." he reassured them. With the day turning to night, Leonsritt had grasped his arm in pain "NGH! UGH!" Leonsritt tried to hold back the cries of pain. Cassandra had turned to look at Leonsritt. "Leo, are you alright?" asked Cassandra, scared. "Yeah, I am..." he said, as his pain kept growing. "You look pale, Leonsritt. Maybe we should rest a bit," said Hilde, showing the same expression of worry. "No, it's alright, Hilde. Let's just keep going," he smiled. Leonsritt had taken two steps, but at the third he collapsed. The girls had turned and saw Leonsritt on the floor. "I-I can't move!" he said, trying to move. "Cassandra, help me!" said Hilde as she picked him up. The girls carried him and sat him near a tree. Leonsritt had started looking even more pale, and his arm's skin had started to harden more, growing in size. "Leo, hang on!" said Cassandra, with her fear growing. "Get away... both of you...!"

"Leonsritt, hold on!"

Leonsritt had started snarling, as Cassandra and Hilde backed away. Leonsritt had gotten up, picking up his steel paddle, and looked at the girls. He grinned and his eyes were blood red. Fear had struck the girls, as they picked up their weapons. Leonsritt, with his arm now formed into what appeared very similar to Nightmare's arm with markings all over his body, now had an ominous aura surrounding him. He roared and dashed towards Hilde, with her parrying the overhead slash and delivering a punch to the gut. Leonsritt flinched but had quickly recovered to hold Hilde by the neck and slammed her to the ground. Hilde had rolled out of the way, with Cassandra jumping in bashing Leonsritt on his head with her shield, but had no effect. Leonsritt had delivered a punch towards Cassandra's gut, sending her flying and crashing towards Hilde. Leonsritt had ran to the girls, jumping in to the air and aiming his blade at them. The girls had gotten out of the way. "Hilde, are you alright?" she asked, running to her aid. "I'm fine, but we have to do something about him," she said, struggling to get up. The girls looked at Leonsritt and noticed something about him. His skin had turned to a darkish blue. His hair had grown longer, and his arm now had an eye on his shoulder. Fangs were showing even more and two more wings had appeared on his back. "I... I guess I have no choice," said Hilde. Cassandra turned to Hilde, as she figured out what she was planning to do with him. "I'm sorry, Cassandra, but we have to..." said Hilde, gritting her teeth. Cassandra had looked down. She gritted her teeth, trying to hold her tears. She didn't want to do this. Hilde felt the same about this. "I'm bringing him back. Just watch me..." said Cassandra, as she gripped her shield and sword.

The two girls charged at the demon...

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><p><p>

Leonsritt woke up from his sleep, only to find himself in the void. He stood up and saw absolutely nothing, only darkness. "This place..." said Leonsritt as he looked around. "So you've arrived..." someone had said. The voice had gotten Leonsritt's attention, as he turned to look where it was coming from. "Well, I should thank you for what you've done for me," said the mysterious voice. "Who are you?" shouted Leonsritt, looking around. "How sad, you don't really remember me?" said the sadistic voice. Leonsritt looked around in the darkness. "Remember the first time you we're going to kill someone you loved?" asked the voice. Leonsritt had soon realized who it was. "You... what have you done to me?" he growled. "Well, let's just say I am the one having the TIME OF MY LIFE!" said the voice. Hearing those words, he realized something was going on with Cassandra and Hilde. Leonsritt had no way out of there, and a figure had appeared. It was none other than his mirror image, but something was off about it. "Well now, I think I should devour those girls' souls," said the replica. "Over my dead body..." growled Leonsritt, as he gripped his blade. "Is that a challenge I hear?" mocked the replica. "Damn right it is!" snarled Leonsritt. "Well..." said the mirror image as it prepared itself with not one, but two steel paddles, "this'll be fun!"

"Bring it..."

* * *

><p><p>

Cassandra had struggled to keep Leonsritt off her and Hilde. Cassandra had fallen to her knees. "Cassandra, stay back. I'll take over." said Hilde and she jumped to Leonsritt and attacked him. Leonsritt grabbed her again and slammed her to the ground. Some of her armor had fallen off, and Leonsritt grabbed the pieces, breaking it. Hilde kicked him into the air, but he retaliated by flying high and diving down, with the sword aimed at her. Hilde jumped out of the way and prepared herself in a defensive position. He landed and gave Hilde a sickening grin. Hilde had chills running down her spine as she saw that. She shook off the feeling and dashed to him. "Hilde, stop," shouted Cassandra. Hilde turned to her. "Why?" she asked. Cassandra pointed to Leonsritt and she turned to him, holding his head and roaring in pain.

"What's going on?"

The two clashed, with the dark Leonsritt having the upper hand. Leonsritt had used most of his strength fighting his dark self, but nothing had worked. They kept attacking each other, but Dark Leonsritt's strength was too overwhelming for Leonsritt. The other one had backed away, and smirked. "I guess this is your end, my friend..." he said, giving a sickening grin. "Heh, as if..." struggled Leonsritt. "Then it's time I get rid of those two pests..." said the other one, as he turned and his body began to give out a purple aura. "No..." he shouted. Leonsritt tried to get up, but his exhaustion wouldn't let him.

* * *

><p><p>

The demon had stopped grasping his head and aimed his look at the girls. He roared and begun changing again. "GRRRAAAAAAHHHHAHAHAHAHA!" This time, he grew two more wings, making that six wings in total, his hair turning into a silverish color, spikes now growing on his forearms and legs, and fanged mouths on his palms. "Leo!" shouted Cassandra. "Time to DIE!" spoke the demon with a distortion. Dark Leonsritt dashed straight at Hilde and Cassandra. Both avoided the dash but had been kicked down to the floor by him. "Leo, stop..." she said. She kept standing up, facing Leonsritt. He charged at her again. But no matter how many times he'd take her down, Cassandra would still stand up. "Cassandra, get away!" shouted Hilde. Her pleas were ignored. Now bruised and weak, she stood up one more time. Her breathing became heavy and her vision blurry. "... You can't be... gone..." she said, struggling to stay standing. He roared and dashed towards her.

"LEO!"

* * *

><p><p>

Leonsritt was too exhausted to stand up. His vision began to get blurry. Is this the end... for me? he thought. Memories of him and Cassandra together flashed through his mind. He gritted his teeth. No... I can't... give up... He heard his name being called. He recognized the voice. He thought of the danger she could be in. Cassandra... he thought. He heard Hilde calling out to him as well. He stood up and looked at the floating figure in front of him. "What's this?" shouted the dark being. "I will... never... GIVE UP!" he yelled, looking at the dark being and piercing his steel paddle on the ground. His sheer force of will began to show as he stood up, giving out a white aura. "I will protect her... that is my promise... and I'm not breaking it now," he said. "Impossible..." said the dark figure. He roared, with light starting to brighten the void...

* * *

><p><p>

Cassandra closed her eyes and the demon prepared a fist to slam on Cassandra. Cassandra felt the wind of the fist hit her but not the attack. She opened her eyes to see that the fist was stopped, and Hilde was astonished of what she saw. A hand began to form in front of the fist. Cassandra saw that a person was materializing. The person pushed the fist to the side and the demon felt a strike to the jaw. Cassandra had felt someone carrying her. It was Leonsritt. "Are you okay...?" he asked. His body began to give out a white aura.

"Leo..."

She smiled and tears began running down her face. He carried her to a tree and set her down. He went to Hilde and carried her too, since she was also weak. Hilde blushed and looked at him. "Thank you..." she said. He smiled back at her. "You two stay here... I got some unfinished business to take care of..." said Leonsritt, as he turned to look at his other self, a demon of uncontrollable power. "So you managed to get out of your own body?" asked the demon. Leonsritt didn't answer. He reached for his back, and his steel paddle materialized. He pointed the tip at the demon. "I'll be taking back what's mine..." said Leonsritt. "You can try, weakling," responded the demon with a cackle.

"Bring it!"

The two dashed at each other, striking each and every time their swords clashed. Leonsritt had began landing powerful blows towards his demon self. "You insolent fool..." said the demon. "That's what I should be calling you..." said Leonsritt. The demon inhabiting his body had charged at Leonsritt. He closed his eyes, concentrating. Dark Leonsritt had charged and at the moment the blade had been a few feet from Leonsritt, he swung his steel paddle. Leonsritt kneeled to avoid the blade and the demon left himself wide open. Dark Leonsritt had turned to look at a kneeling Leonsritt. "What?" he shouted. "IT'S OVER!" shouted Leonsritt. He thrust his palm towards his chest, expelling out the aura that controlled him. He made it inside his body, with it going back to normal. He saw the dark entity disappear. "I will be back to claim what is rightfully mine..." said Dark Leonsritt. Leonsritt had collapsed. "I... did it..." he said and, with blood from his cheek running down, he fell unconscious.

* * *

><p><p>

Waking up, he saw Cassandra and Hilde sitting next to him. "Ugh. What happened...?" he said, trying to get up. "Just lie down and rest Leonsritt," said Hilde, as she was tending to his bandages, and so was Cassandra. "How long have I been out?" he asked. "For three days..." said Cassandra. "What?" he shouted and struggled to get up, but the girls had pushed him back down. "You're still weak, Leo," said Cassandra. "You have to rest. You're not in the condition to be up right now," said Hilde. "But we gotta get to Ostrheinsburg," said Leonsritt. He remembered what had happened three days ago. When he thrust his palm at his own body, the force expelled the demon out of his body, and Leonsritt recovered his body, but that still wasn't going to be the last time he saw the demon. And the cut that was inflicted on his cheek had appeared on his face. Leonsritt had thought to himself about getting to Ivy and Siegfried, before he would start causing harm to everyone around him. The day had turned to night, and, feeling a little better, he was able to stand just a bit. "Cassandra, I need to talk to you..." he said. She had gotten up from the campfire and walked to Leonsritt. He walked toward an open spot in the field and sat down, looking up at the night sky, bright with stars. Cassandra sat next to him, and rested her head on his shoulder. Looking at her, Leonsritt had thought about telling her who he really is. "Cassandra..." he began. "What is it?" she asked. Cassandra had looked at Leonsritt. He wanted to tell her what he needed to say, but he couldn't. "... Why did I end up with this shard in my arm...?" he asked, with failure going through his mind. "Don't think about that... what's important is to get it out of your body..." she said, smiling. Rustling was heard from the nearby trees. Cassandra had gotten up and braced herself. Hilde had grabbed her short sword and walked slowly towards the bushes. A tall man, with crystal looking armor, had walked out of the bushes. "Who are you?" asked Hilde. "Wait, Hilde, Cassandra," said Leonsritt. "You... are you the one they call Leonsritt...?" asked the man. Leonsritt had gotten up, and looked directly at the man. "Who's asking?" he asked, smirking. "I am Siegfried. Are you the one who carries a shard of Soul Edge in your arm?" he asked, stabbing the crystal blade in front of him. "Do I really have to te-AARRRRGH!" he said, but he grasped his arm in pain, and fell to his knees. Siegfried's blade had started to give off a warm, bright glow. To Leonsritt, the glow had felt relieving, but it burned at the same time, "what the HELL?" "So you DO carry a shard of the cursed blade," said Siegfried. "Leo!" shouted the two girls, as they dashed to his aid. "What is this? AAAUUUGH!" Leonsritt had fallen to the ground, paralyzed. The two girls looked at the man, but what are Siegfried's intentions?


	16. A Secret Revealed

Chapter 10 – A Secret Revealed

Our heroes Leonsritt, Cassandra, and Hilde find themselves in a tough situation. Siegfried, wielder of the Sacred Sword has appeared to them. Leonsritt tried to get up from the paralysis, but his efforts failed. "You... what are you... doing to me...?" he asked in pain, as his voice began to distort. "The light that Soul Calibur gives off is what weakens the shard," explained Siegfried. "But what are you going to do with Leo?" asked Cassandra in an angered manner. "Cassandra, calm down. We have to help Leonsritt," said Hilde. The light from the blade had stopped shimmering, and Leonsritt had felt free from the paralysis. He stood up but had almost collapsed. "Are you alright?" asked the two girls. "Yeah, I'm fine but what gives?" asked Leonsritt. "When Soul Calibur and Soul Edge resonate with each other, they give off energy," said Siegfried, "but since this is a Soul Edge shard, it tried to give off energy equal to that of Soul Calibur, but it was too weak." "But why was it burning Leo?" asked Cassandra. "Because it tried taking control of him..." he said. Siegfried walked towards Leonsritt and grabbed him by the collar, picking him up. "But you, do you know what you've caused?" he snarled at Leonsritt, as he tried to escape his grasp. "W-wait, what do you mean?" he asked. "You're the time-traveler, aren't you?" Siegfried snarled at him. "Time... traveler?" he asked, _I traveled to another world, not through time, you idiot_. "Leo, what's he talking about?" asked Cassandra. "I-I don't know..." he hesitated. Leonsritt didn't want any of this to be told by anyone else but him. Siegfried had pushed him to the ground, and Leonsritt couldn't fight back. The secret that he had been holding in was going to come out. "Don't lie! You know pretty well!" snarled Siegfried. "W-what are you talking about?" he kept asking. "Don't be stupid with me! Explain to me all the strange items that have been appearing throughout the land," he said. "Let Leo go already!" shouted Cassandra. "Siegfried, put him down," said Hilde. Siegfried let him go, with Leonsritt trying to catch air from the hold.

"How do you know...?"

Siegfried looked at him with a glare. "Ivy had sent me to look for you!" he said. There was nothing else he could do, but to tell everyone who he is. "WELL? ARE YOU OR NOT?" demanded Siegfried. There was a long silence between the whole group. Leonsritt looked down and let out a deep breath.

"... Yeah, I am..."

He saw the looks of astonishment on Hilde and Cassandra. He couldn't believe that the truth had been spoken out by force. Cassandra had looked at Leonsritt with anger. Leonsritt looked down until he heard steps. "You are coming with me..." said Cassandra. Without another word, Leonsritt was pulled by her towards a spot where no one could see. She faced Leonsritt, as he looked down in shame.

"Why... why didn't you tell me?"

There was silence. Leonsritt didn't want to speak. Cassandra curled her fingers into a fist. "ANSWER ME!" she yelled. "I... I'm sorry..." he began, "I wanted to tell yo-" She grabbed him by the collar and fiercely slapped Leonsritt. He fell to the floor, touching his burning cheek and he looked up at Cassandra. She had broken down in tears and walked away. "Wait! Cassandra!" he shouted. He grabbed her arm, but she shook his hand off and walked away. He fell to his knees and looked into the ground. His tears were falling to the ground, seeing them fade into the soil. "... Dammit..." he murmured. Leonsritt stood up and he punched a tree. The pain on his fist didn't matter to him, as his anger welled up on him.

"DAMMIT!"

* * *

><p>Cassandra had walked towards the items and picked them up. Hilde sensed something off. "Cassandra, what happened?" asked Hilde. "Let's go..." she said, in a low tone. "But what about Le-" she asked but was stopped by Cassandra. "He's not coming. Let's go," said Cassandra in an angered tone. Siegfried had seen the face of anger on Cassandra. They walked away without saying another word. 10 minutes had gone by and he saw Leonsritt walking towards him.<p>

"What the hell... is your goddamned problem... you asshole...?

Siegfried looked at Leonsritt. He grasped his blade and pointed it at Siegfried. "I needed to know if you were-" said Siegfried, but he heard Leonsritt snarl. "'NEEDED TO KNOW'? I WAS SUPPOSED TO TELL HER THAT MYSELF!" He swung his blade at Siegfried. He blocked it with his own blade. "Calm down. Your anger won't make it any better," said Siegfried. Leonsritt snarled at him. "YOU THINK I GIVE A FUCK? YOU'RE THE ONE WHO RUINED THIS FOR ME! I DIDN'T WANT TO BE HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE!" shouted Leonsritt. His violent attacks grew even fiercer. Siegfried blocked an attack, but Leonsritt threw a fist to his face. The hit landed and blew Siegfried back.

"Ngh..."

Leonsritt landed on one knee and he held his head. The pain began to intensify by the second. Siegfried had noticed a red and purple aura emanating from Leonsritt. Anger had started to consume Leonsritt. His rage had led him to attack Siegfried in a crazed manner, with him blocking and parrying every attack Leonsritt tried to land on him.

"I guess you're leaving me no choice..."

Soul Calibur had started glowing with the same pure light that shone before. Leonsritt had started to back off, but shifted to his demon form. This time, the aura from Soul Calibur wasn't affecting him at all. "Sieg... fried... you..." he struggled. "Don't let it consume you!" shouted Siegfried. His growls of pain slowly began to turn into maniacal laughter. There was blood slowly coming out of his mouth. His arms began to cut open with wounds, as the blood began to flow towards the blade. Siegfried grasped SoulCalibur tightly.

"I guess I have no choice..."

* * *

><p>The two girls walked ahead. Hilde looked at Cassandra with concern. "... Was it right for us to just leave Leonsritt like that?" she asked. "You can't even trust him anymore..." said Cassandra. "But Leonsritt-" began Hilde, but Cassandra snapped, "don't even say his name!" Hilde backed away. Hilde had a sudden feeling that something was wrong. She stopped in her tracks, and Cassandra looked at Hilde. She turned and looked back at Cassandra. "I'm going back," she said, "I'm going to get answers from him..." Cassandra looked in silence and Hilde began to walk back to Leonsritt. "What you just did was wrong... So I'm going back..." said Hilde. Cassandra glared at her. "FINE! Do what you want..." growled Cassandra. Hilde started walking back as Cassandra kept walking the opposite direction.<p>

"Leonsritt, what have you been hiding from us...?"

* * *

><p>Both Leonsritt and Siegfried kept fighting, but no matter how many times Siegfried took him down, Leonsritt kept getting up and attacking him with his rage. His blood splattered as the blades connected. "He's lost it..." said Siegfried. "LEONSRITT!" shouted Hilde as she approached, only to see a crazed Leonsritt. She looked in horror as Leonsritt cackled. His blood flowed around him. "WHAT HAPPENED?" asked Hilde. "Back off! It's too dangerous!" shouted Siegfried. Hilde looked at Leonsritt's eyes. There was no sign of life in them, as he gave a sickening grin, with eyes affixed to the two.<p>

* * *

><p>Deep inside Leonsritt's mind... A voice spoke to him...<p>

_Feed the dark fires of destruction... that's right... let your anger consume you... destroy everything in your path... annihilate those that get in your way..._

Leonsritt's body fell to the ground. The blood kept itself in midair. The body contorted, as the two heard laughter. "Leonsritt, snap out of it!" shouted Hilde. The contortion stopped and the body stood up like a puppet. The laughter stopped and the blood flowed back into his body. The wounds healed and he fell to his knees. Hilde and Siegfried looked as Leonsritt stood up, coughing a small amount of blood.

"Leonsritt?"

Leonsritt looked at Hilde. He smiled and his eyes opened wide. His eyes once again showed no sign of life in them. He threw a claw at her, but she jumped back. Hilde prepared her weapons and faced Leonsritt. The red and purple aura had turned black, forming a silhouette of a giant demon behind him.

"Leonsritt? Who is that...?"

Leonsritt gave a sinister smile. A chill came down Hilde's spine, and Leonsritt growled.

Cassandra kept walking on her own, and she stopped. She looked at the sky, as the gray clouds were going into the direction Hilde went. "Why do I get the feeling something's wrong...?" she asked. This feeling was making her feel uncomfortable, as if she felt something was wrong with Leonsritt. "Was it really wrong to just leave him like that?" she wondered, "maybe I should go back..." She turned around and the moment she turned, an explosion had been heard, with a dark aura reaching the sky. Dark clouds had started appearing, swirling towards an area. "What's going on?" she asked and she ran back.

A menacing aura covered the area around Leonsritt. "The shard's power is way too much for him to handle!" said Siegfried. "Then what's going to happen to Leonsritt?" asked Hilde, as the gusts of wind began to push the two back. "We have no other choice, but to..." said Siegfried, as he grasped his blade. Leonsritt's body was now being covered with the dark aura.

"Now I guess it's time to finally do what I wanted to do for a LONG TIME!"

Leonsritt flicked his wrist up, sending up dark spikes from the ground towards Hilde and Siegfried. They dodged the attacks, but Leonsritt sunk into the ground and appeared behind Siegfried, grabbing him and throwing him to the ground.

"DISAPPEAR!"

Leonsritt dragged Siegfried against the ground and threw him in the air. Siegfried retaliated by throwing Soul Calibur at Leonsritt. He reflected the blade right back at Siegfried. He caught the blade and safely landed on the ground. "IS THAT ALL YOU GOT? YOU'RE THAT WEAK SIEGFRIED!" shouted Leonsritt as he gave a sickening grin. "Leonsritt! Snap out of it already!" shouted Hilde. "That's not him..." said Siegfried. "YOU FIGURED IT OUT ALREADY..." said Leonsritt. The dark aura that covered Leonsritt's body had started fading away. It started forming an armor that seemed awfully familiar to Siegfried and Hilde.

"No... no way..."

Siegfried had stood up and raised his sword, swinging the blade only to have it stopped with one hand by Leonsritt... or at least, who used to be... "So Siegfried... It's been a while..." said the person, as he looked at his hand. "... Nightmare..." snarled Siegfried. "Leonsritt is Nightmare?" asked Hilde. Nightmare Leonsritt appeared in front of Siegfried in a split second. He grabbed Siegfried by the throat and threw him over his shoulder. Siegfried tumbled to the ground and rolled. "You're still weak..." He had disappeared. Hilde was shocked at what had happened to Leonsritt. "That... that can't be... Nightmare..." said Hilde as she fell to her knees. "He got away... Nightmare..." said Siegfried. Cassandra had appeared. She saw the area with Siegfried and Hilde. "What happened here?" she asked. "Cassandra... he's... gone..." said Hilde, as her eyes began to well up with tears, "he's Nightmare..." "What do you mean?" she asked as the bad feeling began to grow stronger. "We lost him for good..." cried Hilde. "WHAT?" Cassandra was now confused. She didn't quite understand what Hilde meant, but she had a extremely bad feeling about it. "Princess Hilde, Cassandra, we have to find him and break Nightmare's hold of him..." said Siegfried as he walked to the two. Now that the secret was revealed and Soul Edge has taken hold of Leonsritt, what will his fate be?


	17. A Nightmare's Beginning

Chapter 11 – A Nightmare's Beginning

A dark fate has crossed Leonsritt's path. The shard has taken over his body. Now what will be of him is unknown. Nightmare Leonsritt appeared in Ostrheinsburg, atop the cathedral ruins in the center of the capital. He sets the steel paddle in the center of the ruins.

"And now to wait for _him_. Once _he_ arrives, I'll be complete..."

* * *

><p>Cassandra had fallen to her knees. "He's... gone...?" she asked. The shock had taken hold of her. Hilde had explained to her the situation. Hilde had looked down. Siegfried was angered about this. "We can't be here moping about this... We must go to Ivy... And we have to get to him before Nightmare does..." said Siegfried. "But how do we get to Ivy if we're so far from where she is...?" asked Cassandra. "I'll handle that..." he said. Siegfried raised his sword and a light appeared in front of them.<p>

"Follow me..."

Siegfried walked in to the light. Hilde and Cassandra and Hilde looked at it for a few seconds, and the walked through the light. They had arrived at the Valentine Manor, where they found Ivy, donning a red frilled dress. "And the boy...?" asked Ivy. "It's not looking good at all..." said Siegfried. "What about these two...?" she asked as she walked to the two, crossing her arms. "HEY! THESE TWO HAVE NAM-" Hilde had covered Cassandra's mouth. "My sincerest apologies, Isabella. I am Hildegard von Wolfkrone, daughter of King Wolfkrone. This is my traveling companion, Cassandra," said Hilde. "Now my main concern is the young man that was with both of you..." said Ivy. "We don't know where he is. He just disappeared..." said Siegfried. "We need him to restore everything to the way it was..." said Ivy as she turned to her table. "Why? What's going on?" asked Cassandra. "The situation with him is worse than we thought..." said Ivy in a stern tone.

* * *

><p>Nightmare had appeared at the Ostrheinsburg castle gates, where the aura of Leonsritt's shard had been emanating from...<p>

"Finally, a new host for me... This'll be fun... And once I obtain the new body, I will find more souls to devour..."

He had started walking in to the castle ruins...

* * *

><p>"So then without him you can't stop this...?" asked Hilde. "No... This had all started with Soul Edge and the idea of traveling through time..." said Ivy. "We have to find him quick before it's too late..." said Cassandra as she turned. "It's most likely for him to be at the castle ruins in Ostrheinsburg..." said Siegfried. "But how do we get there? We're still far from the place... And we gotta get Leo out of there!" said Cassandra.<p>

"I will help you get there..."

A mysterious figure had appeared to them. A man with a hood covering his face, carrying a scythe. This man had given everyone a chill down their spine. Ivy had soon recognized this person.

"Zasalamel..." said Ivy. "I've foreseen everything that's going on with this world... and his..." Zasalamel turned to Hilde and Cassandra. Both girls had stepped back in fear. "You... you are the one who will save us..." said Zasalamel, as he pointed. "Wait... Hilde or me?" asked Cassandra. "You'll see for yourself soon enough..." he said and stretched his arm to the left and a portal appeared.

"Follow me..."

Zasalamel walked towards the portal but noticed that Hilde and Cassandra stood looking at him. "How do we know if what Cassandra and I will walk through will be a trap?" asked Hilde. "Do you not trust me? Or do you want everyone to die because of the catastrophe that is happening...?" asked Zasalamel. "Hilde, he's right... We should just go through this..." Hilde sighed and stepped in to the portal, but she still didn't trust the hooded man. They had appeared in front of the Ostrheinsburg castle ruins. A flash of light had appeared and Siegfried stood in front of them. They noticed that a black aura had been emanating from the inside of the ruins. Everyone had stepped in and looked around. A thunderstorm had started and the light had grown dim. "I'm not liking this at all, Hilde..." said Cassandra, as she held her weapon tightly. "Be on your guard. You never know what can happ-" said Hilde but was stopped.

"SHH! Stop..."

Siegfried stood still, with weapon in hand. Cassandra and Hilde had stopped and prepared themselves. They looked around and started hearing footsteps approaching them. "Sieg... fried..." He looked to see where that came from...

"DIE!"

Something had jumped out and attacked Siegfried, with him blocking the unknown figure's attack. "We meet again Siegfried! Are you ready for your demise this time?" asked Nightmare. "NIGHTMARE! YOU BASTARD!" shouted Siegfried. The two crossed swords. Siegfried looked at Hilde and Cassandra. "Go! I'll hold Nightmare off! He's in there somewhere!" shouted Siegfried.

"Not for long!"

The two kept power struggling and Siegfried managed to push Nightmare off. The girls ran towards the door in front of them. "Siegfried, all your efforts will not be enough to stop me..." said Nightmare.

* * *

><p><em>Go, now. He has arrived... But beware, two nuisances will be in your way...<em>

* * *

><p>the two girls made it past the door and ran in. "Come on! We have to hurry!" shouted Cassandra, as she dashed to the stairs leading to the upper floors. Hilde had not been far, but she froze. Cassandra stopped and turned to her.<p>

"Hilde! What's wrong?"

Hilde pointed and saw an injured Leonsritt lying in the middle of the hallway. "Leo!" shouted Cassandra. They ran to him but Hilde stopped halfway. "Cassandra, stop!" she shouted. "But we gotta help him!" she said. Cassandra turned to him. Leonsritt opened his eyes and smiled at her.

"Are you okay?"

There was no answer, but the smile turned in to a sinister grin. She noticed his eyes had no sign of life in them.

"What a fool you are..."

"Wha-aughh!" she said. His arm was extended to Cassandra's neck, choking her. He stood up, with Cassandra in hand and threw her to the wall. A slam was heard and she coughed up blood. Hilde ran to Cassandra but was kicked down to the ground. Leonsritt walked to the nearest girl, Hilde. "You are such fools..." he said, as the purple aura and blood surrounded him. Nightmare Leonsritt had walked up to Hilde and picked her up by her neck. "You... guh... what did you do to... Leonsritt...?" asked Hilde, struggling to escape his grip. He laughed in a sinister manner, applying more pressure on her neck.

"He doesn't exist anymore..."

He landed a punch at Hilde's gut, causing her to spit out blood. She flew to the end of the hallway. He turned to Cassandra, and walked to her, only to stop. He landed on his knees and his eyes began to close. Cassandra looked at Nightmare Leonsritt. She stood up and leaned back on the wall. "You have to fight it, Leo!" she shouted. "Grr... GAH!" he grunted, "wh... why do you... resist... me?"Nightmare Leonsritt had grasped his head in pain.

* * *

><p>Deep in the void, Leonsritt is being held down by strings of what seems to be Soul Edge's aura. "Get out of my body!" he shouted, struggling to release himself from Soul Edge's grasp.<p>

_I take orders from no one!_

The same voice he heard echoed in the area. "I won't let you take over me!" he shouted.

_Silence! Your body will serve as the new host! There is nothing you can do about it!_

"Get the hell out of me!" he shouted. It was no use. The aura was too strong.

_Do not resist me... Sleep..._

The aura sent a surge of energy, shocking Leonsritt's body. His shouts of pain were being let out. The surge of energy rendered him unconscious.

* * *

><p>"FIGHT IT!" shouted Cassandra. She walked slowly to Nightmare Leonsritt. He stopped grasping his head and stood still. Cassandra looked at Nightmare Leonsritt. "Leo...?" she asked. A moment of silence had gone by. Cassandra had suddenly felt a burst of pain in her gut, and noticed his fist on her gut. "You're so stupid... He's gone... Now... SUFFER!" She began to spit out more blood and fell to the floor. Hilde stood up and looked at Cassandra on the floor. Nightmare Leonsritt walked towards the stairs and began walking down. Hilde ran to Cassandra's aid. "Are you okay?" she asked as she had her rest on her leg. "It's too late..." Cassandra broke down in tears. Hilde had helped her up and helped her walk to the top of the ruins. "Not yet! We have to get through to him!" said Hilde.<p>

Nightmare and Siegfried's battle led them to the top of the ruins. The Sacred and Evil Swords clashed, with both warriors weakening but still fighting. "Nightmare! You will perish..." panted Siegfried. "Fool... You can never... get rid of me..." said Nightmare. "This is THE END!" Siegfried raised Soul Calibur in the air and slammed it down, but only to see Nightmare Leonsritt hold the blade with one hand.

"What?"

Nightmare Leonsritt sneered and threw him to the ground. Siegfried stood up.

"Now is the time for the final step..."

Nightmare stood up and pierced Soul Edge to the ground. He had suddenly disappeared but had turned into a visible aura. Nightmare Leonsritt had absorbed the aura, and walked to Soul Edge. "Say farewell to this useless excuse of a world, for it will be mine soon... As for this boy... If he hadn't been here, I would've never made it this far..." said the person. He grabbed the blade and a red light emanated around Nightmare Leonsritt. The earth shook violently and thunder had struck down where Nightmare Leonsritt had stood. Cassandra and Hilde appeared and dust had covered the whole area. Minutes had passed by as the dust had finally started clearing out. Everyone had seen what was standing in the middle. A giant with wings and a red aura covering it. It slowly floated up in the air. Soul Edge had now taken its complete form. And with it, it had transformed Nightmare Leonsritt into...

"NIGHT TERROR!"

"N-no way..."

Night Terror had looked down and raised Soul Edge in to the air. Looking at the horizon, he noticed something was different about the land, as if certain things are not supposed to be there.

"Both worlds will be mine to rule..."

* * *

><p>Leonsritt had opened his eyes, breathing heavily. He sat up and looked at the alarm clock next to him, marking 4:52PM. He looked around and felt himself. He was wearing the same clothes he was wearing today. "Am I really...?" he asked. He looked again and then he realized where he was...<p>

"I... I'm back..."


	18. Two Worlds

Chapter 12 – Two Worlds

Leonsritt had recognized the place he was in, a very familiar place...

"I... I'm back... in my room..."

Angelo had been relieved that he was in his room, seeing his dream was going out of control. He lied back down on his bed. He remembered everything that had happened in his dream. He noticed his steel paddle next to his bed. He sat up and noticed a red ribbon placed with a small piece of elegant-looking paper. He stared intently and realized that this ribbon was real. _I know this was a dream, and certainly I remember Amy giving me this ribbon... so... _he thought. Angelo picked it up and read the note.

_I know who you are._

_What you went through was not a dream._

_You must return to save our world and yours._

_Soul Edge is causing your world to combine with ours._

_You must put an end to this._

"No way... It can't be..." Angelo had been surprised, and he left the note on his drawer. He walked in to the bathroom. He turned the faucet on, letting cold water run. _Man, I gotta snap out of it. Maybe if I wash my face, I'll finally wake up and I won't see what Amy gave me_, he thought as he splashed the cold water on his face. He spent a few minutes in the bathroom and went back to his room. He looked at his drawer. _Why is it still there? Was this really a dream or not? _he thought as he intently stared at the note. As he thought about this, another question had popped out of his head, _wait... if this wasn't a dream, then how come Soul Edge isn't in my body?_

This was a little confusing for him, but then he decided to turn the TV on.

_This is Channel 5 News, with a warning for families to stay in their homes. We have recently received footage from one of the neighboring states that what seems to be a castle that appeared out of nowhere. All around the world many strange things have happened, and even with people who seem to be coming from these places. The threat is these strange black creatures that sprout from the ground. To all families, lock your doors and stay inside._

There was a scream heard in the background.

_What was that? … Wait, what the hell? Guahh!_

One of those strange creatures had attacked the news reporter, and the transmission had cut off. "You've gotta be kidding me..." he said. He changed the channel, and another newscast was on, but it seemed that one of the cameras was tipped over. A red giant appeared on the TV.

"What the... no way..."

Night Terror had approached the camera. It picked it up and destroyed it. Angelo had stood up. He walked back to his room and grabbed his steel paddle. He opened the window to his room and saw the pitch black sky with thunder. He jumped out of the window and looked around. The whole street was abandoned. "Something's not right about this..." he said. The creatures had appeared to him and they all were ready to pounce. "Alright... Let's do this thing..." Angelo had prepared himself but he heard the sound of a wind cutter. The creatures disintegrated in the air, and a swordsman had appeared. This swordsman wielded a katana. He turned to Angelo. "Are you alright?" asked the man. "Uh, I didn't need any help, but thanks. You must be Mitsurugi,"he said as he identified the man as Mitsurugi, a ruthless Japanese swordsman. "So you know of me?" asked Mitsurugi. "It's a long story," said Angelo. Mitsurugi had put away his weapon. "You are Leonsritt, are you not?" asked the Japanese man. "How do you know?" asked Angelo. "I'll explain along the way. We have to head north," he said. Angelo placed the steel paddle on his back. He looked at Mitsurugi and looked north. He noticed a strange red and purple aura emanating from there. _Night Terror's in downtown_, he thought as they began to walk. More of the creatures had appeared, and they started to take Nightmare's form.

"Go! I'll handle these!"

Angelo nodded, as he ran to his motorcycle and started it up. He stepped on it as he saw Mitsurugi defeating every one of the Nightmare copies. He rode past the deserted and destroyed streets. _Man, I thought saving the world was gonna be easy, but nope. And I guess I'll do the temp name change for a bit_, he thought.

Leonsritt rode on but stopped as soon as the street was blocked by destroyed cars. He got off the motorcycle and looked at what happened. Cars were destroyed and flipped over, as if a giant fight had happened. He walked until he felt someone embrace him. _Cassandra... is that you?_ he wondered. He turned to look, but the look on his face was priceless... again.

"OH WHAT THE F-"

* * *

><p>Cassandra and Hilde woke up in the middle of a ruined building. They looked around to see that the building looked a lot different. "Where are we?" asked Cassandra. "I can see that we're in the other world that Ivy mentioned," said Hilde as she walked towards a door. "You mean..." said Cassandra, "we're in Leonsritt's world?" Hilde nodded. Cassandra stood up and looked around at the strange-looking buildings. Hilde had looked around and saw cars. "Wow, his world is a lot different than ours," said Cassandra, as she observed the items around them. "We have to find a way back..." said Hilde, and the two had picked up their weapons and walked towards the ruined street. "But where do we go first?" asked Cassandra. They looked around the area, only to see debris all over.<p>

Ivy had appeared at a destroyed park. She looked around and saw so many things unknown to her. "I have to find that boy," said Ivy, "he's the only one who can get this back to the way it was." She pulled her dress off and revealed her purple outfit and in her hands, wielded the Valentine. "I know he's around somewhere," she said and walked towards the abandoned streets.

* * *

><p>"-UUUUUCK!" he finished yelling. "I FINALLY FOUND YOU! I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD FIND YOU HERE BUT I DID!" said the girl. It was none other than Tira, Leonsritt's crazed stalker. Leonsritt jumped away and yet Tira followed him everywhere. "Come on! Can't you leave me alone already?" he asked as he struggled to push her away. "But I don't wanna be lonely again..." she said as the two fell to the ground. "What do you want from me?" he asked as Tira began to pin his arms down. "Please don't leave me! If you do, I'll get hot and bothered again, and I won't control myself!" she said as she rubbed against him. Her moaning began to get loud. Leonsritt mustered all of his strength, and pushed her off his body. "That's YOUR problem. I gotta stop Night Terror from destroying everything. This is a life and death situation, you know," he said as he stood up and placed his blade on his motorcycle. "Well this is a life and death situation, too!" she said as she stood up, following behind him. He though about this and came up with a plan. "Hey, wait! Aren't you supposed to be chasing after my Soul Edge shard?" he asked. "After that night, not anymore," she said smiling. "Ugh, whatever. If I finish this, the whole thing that's going on, you can have your way with me. Deal?" he asked, hoping this would work. "YES!" she shouted in excitement. Tira lunged herself directly at Leonsritt. She hugged him tight and both got on his motorcycle. "What is this thing?" she asked. "It's called a motorcycle," he said, as he turned the key. He turned it on and with revving the bike, Tira moaned. "Calm down," he said in an embarrassed tone. "Sorry," she said. "Now hang on tight," he said and the two were on their way towards downtown.<p>

A few hours had gone by, and the world had been progressing in the fusion between the real world and the other world. Cassandra and Hilde kept walking in the abandoned city. "I'm pretty exhausted from this. How can we keep going if we don't even know where we are and who or what we're looking for," said Cassandra. "Look, we need to find a way to get this back to the way it was," said Hilde, "we can't give up. We already lost Leonsritt. Do we need to lose more?" Cassandra stood quiet, with a depressing look on her face. She fell to her knees. "I'm the one at fault. I was the one who made him like that. I should've listened..." Cassandra had tears running down her eyes as she clenched her fists. Tears were marking the pavement, disappearing the moment they landed. Hilde walked up to her and embraced her to calm her down.

"IT'S ALL MY FAULT!"

She cried loudly as it had started raining. Hilde felt a chill, and dark creatures started to rise from the destroyed pavement. Cassandra stopped crying and opened her eyes. She wiped her tears off and braced her weapons as she saw the creatures approaching them. "Get ready, Cassandra!" said Hilde as she gritted her teeth. _Leo, this is for you! _she thought. Cassandra leaped at the creatures, attacking them in a crazed manner. Hilde started to attack the creatures as well. The beings had grown in numbers as both girls destroyed one after another. Cassandra and Hilde kept on fighting with determination, to get home and to end the nightmare. The creatures soon grew in numbers enough to overwhelm the girls. They had been pinned down. "I won't give up... not now..." she shouted. Cassandra let out a grunt of anger as she shoved the creatures off her and Hilde. "No matter how many times you take me down, you'll never defeat us..."

Cassandra charged at the giant crowd of monsters.

* * *

><p>Ivy had made her way through the park, with a trail of an inky black liquid dripping from the Valentine. "Never did I think I would be facing this kind of threat," she said, as she flicked the ink from the weapon. She heard a faint growling noise coming from her left. She prepared the Valentine, as the growl came closer. She saw from the horizon that the growling wasn't coming from a creature, but from something else. It got close enough to see two people mounted on some sort of device. It stopped in front of her. "Ivy. What happened...?" said Leonsritt as he mounted off his bike, with Tira following behind. "Leonsritt? How are you...?" said Ivy in shock. "There's no time to explain, and how did you know my name?" asked Leonsritt as he looked around. "I'll explain that later, but right now..." she said as more of the shadowy creatures had appeared. Ivy, Tira, and Leonsritt prepared themselves. "I guess we're gonna have to fight our way through. We gotta get to Night Terror," said Leonsritt. "Let's have some fun then!" said Hilde. "These pathetic worms won't have a chance against us..." Leonsritt, Tira and Ivy attacked the creatures but were suddenly stopped in their tracks as they saw three people arrive, destroying multiple creatures at once. One took out three of them with a staff. Another took out a few with what seemed to be dancing with a sword. The last one had a pair of nunchaku, taking out many around him. "You're Leonsritt, aren't you?" asked the one with the staff. The girl with the sword smiled at Leonsritt as the one with the nunchaku walked to them. "Yeah, and I take it you are Kilik, Xianghua, and Maxi. Am I right?" asked Leonsritt. "I guess we need no introduction, but you are trying to get to Night Terror. We'll take care of this," said Xianghua as she stood in her fighter stance. "Heh, might as well," said Maxi, as more creatures appeared. "Go on ahead. I'll stay with these three," said Ivy. Leonsritt nodded and he got on his motorcycle with Tira and rode off as Kilik, Xianghua, Maxi and Ivy fought off the creatures.<p>

_Cassandra, where are you...?_

* * *

><p>Cassandra and Hilde fought the creatures with exhaustion. More waves of these creatures came at them, but they couldn't take it anymore. The shadows crept up to them and lunged at both. Hilde fell to her knees. "I... I can't fight... any... longer..." Hilde fainted of exhaustion, as Cassandra fell to her knees and closed her eyes, panting. <em>Is this it for me?<em> she thought. Cassandra felt everything slow down. _Leo, if you we're still here, I would tell you I'm sorry..._ she thought as a tear ran down her face. _Leo... save me..._ she whimpered. She looked up in to the gray sky.

"SAVE ME!"

The blonde girl shouted in the air as the creatures dived towards them. Cassandra closed her eyes shut and everything went silent.


	19. Return

Chapter 13 – Return

Silence overtook Cassandra. She waited to die, to finally be at peace. She waited for the final blow. Cassandra's thoughts filled her mind with memories of her and Leonsritt together. From the first day they met to the last day she saw his face. His face was the last thing she wanted to see when she died. She remembered the promise he gave to her, along with his red bangle. The memory flashed in her mind.

"_Okay... I know this'll sound depressing, but if there would be a time when I will go, and never come back... what will you do...?"_

"_..."_

"_Tell me, what will you do?"_

"_I... I don't know..."_

"_Look, if that were to happen..."_

_ Leonsritt held her hand. Cassandra looked at him with her eyes shining bright with the moonlight. Leonsritt had noticed her eyes and he placed his hand on her face, caressing her cheek. She closed her eyes. He looked at his hand, at the bangle. He removed it, grabbed Cassandra's left arm and placed it on her wrist._

"_If that ever happens, don't cry. I will always be there..."_

Those five words echoed through her mind...

"_I will always be there..."_

Cassandra waited for the final blow, but it never came. She opened her eyes and she saw someone standing in front of her. The creatures had backed away. He prepared himself as he jumped in the air, raising his sword and slamming it down on a couple of the creatures. Cassandra noticed another person with this young man. This person had an odd-looking weapon. Cassandra had began to close her eyes, ready to fall asleep. As these people defeated every one of the creatures surrounding them, she lost consciousness. Everything went black. Cassandra wanted to open her eyes, but she only heard muffled voices. All of a sudden, everything went silent.

* * *

><p>Cassandra's body felt weak, but she still managed to get up. She looked around and noticed she was in a room. She looked at everything around her. So many items were unknown to her but in a corner, she noticed someone sitting in the dark. "Are you feeling well?" said the mysterious figure as he looked at her. "... Yeah, weak, but a little better..." she replied. The person stood up and grabbed what seemed to be a blade, placing it on his back. He walked slowly towards her. "Well, I guess you should rest some more..." said the mysterious figure. Cassandra slowly realized who she was talking to. "Wait... is... is that you, Leonsritt...?" she asked. The person stopped. He scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, it's me..." he said. The light revealed to be him. He placed his hand on her cheek. It slowly slid down to her neck until he opened his eyes, showing the same lifeless eyes she saw from him. "WHAT'S LEFT OF ME ANYWAY!" he snarled and he attempted to grab Cassandra's neck. She leaned back and Leonsritt grabbed the blade with agility and slammed it down, about to hit Cassandra. She moved out of the way. Leonsritt swung the steel paddle violently. He laughed sinisterly, with the murderous intent in his eyes. Cassandra quivered in fear of him. She dodged his attacks until he managed to grab her by the neck. She wanted to escape, but his grip was too strong. "You little bitch... This was all YOUR doing..." he snarled at her. "I'm sorry, Leo. I'm sorry!" she said as her breath began to shorten. "It's too late for forgiveness..." Cassandra looked into Leonsritt's hollow eyes. "Now..." he sneered as he slowly began to grind his blade on the cement. "Let me... go... please..." she said, trying to complete her words. She couldn't breathe as his grip kept tightening on her neck. There was no response from him. His fangs began to show on and his face began to show a wicked emotion, his eyes wide and affixed to her. There was a gentle, sinister laughter coming from him. Leonsritt raised his sword and pointed the tip at her chest.<p>

"DIE!"

* * *

><p>Cassandra woke up in a violent manner, screaming and kicking, as if she was defending herself. Hilde had held her down. "Cassandra, calm down. It's okay," said Hilde as Cassandra's flailing continued. Cassandra blinked twice, and her violent outburst subsided. She saw Hilde and relaxed. "Thank God it's you, Hilde," said Cassandra, letting out a sigh of relief. "Are you okay?" she asked, as she placed her hand on Cassandra's forehead. "Yeah, it's just that..." she said but looked down. "Well?" asked Hilde. "My dream. Leo wanted to kill me..." she said as her voice began to break. Cassandra looked around and saw that she was in a room in an abandoned house. Hilde placed her hand on Cassandra's shoulder. "But you know that Leonsritt would never kill you..." she assured her, " you know he would always put himself in harm's way... to protect you." Cassandra looked down once again. "I know, but it was just too much for me," she said as she rubbed her eyes, wiping off the tears. "But he never would..." reassured Hilde. There was a brief second of silence. "I know he wouldn't hurt me at all..." said Cassandra, as she looked at the bangle he gave her.<p>

"So you're awake now, aren't you...?"

Both Cassandra and Hilde turned to look. Tira was standing a few feet away from them. Cassandra got up quickly and grabbed her sword and shield. "What do YOU want?" she growled. Tira smirked and placed her ring blade down. "Wow, we save you and that's how you thank us? Geez..." said Tira, shrugging. Cassandra stopped and looked in confusion. "'US'?" asked Hilde.

"That's right..."

Someone walked in the room, and Cassandra and Hilde look to see in the doorway. Both were shocked to see who the person was, as he got near the group of girls.

* * *

><p>Night Terror had left a trail of soulless people in his tracks. He grabbed more people as they were weak to escape. Night Terror absorbed the souls. "Never did I think this would be so simple..." hr said as he looked at what seemed to be a wasteland. "This world shall be mine..." he growled. Night Terror flew to the center of the city. He landed on top of the Ostrheinsburg Castle ruins overlooking the city wasteland. "All souls shall belong to me..." he growled as he raised a claw in the air. A pillar of dark energy surrounded him.<p>

"AND NO ONE WILL STOP ME!"

* * *

><p>Hilde looked in shock. "No... that's impossible..." she said, awestruck. Cassandra's eyes were lost at the sight of the person. "N-no way..." said Cassandra. She walked slowly as she approached the figure. The figure grabbed his blade and pierced the ground with it. She stretched her hand out to the person's face. She touched it softly, and caressed his face. "It's you..." she said with her voice breaking, and her eyes began to fill with tears. She smiled as she caressed his face.<p>

"Leo... it's really you..."

Tira was about to walk towards Leonsritt and Cassandra to split them up, but Hilde put her blade in the way. Hilde looked at Tira and nodded a no. Tira stopped and looked at the two. Cassandra had placed herself on Leonsritt's chest. "It's really you..." she cried.

"I told you didn't I? I will always be there..."

Leonsritt lifted his right hand and placed it on her cheek, wiping off her tears with his thumb. She cried as he held her in a tight embrace. Cassandra looked at his eyes. He looked at hers. "I'm sorr-" she said but he placed a finger on her lips. "I should be the one apologizing. I didn't tell you who I was..." he said. "But why...?" she asked. "Because... because I didn't want to hurt you like that. Rather, I didn't want to put you or anyone else in harm's way," he said. Leonsritt let Cassandra go and took a few steps back. He looked down. "I'm sorry... I should've to-" he said but his words were cut short as he suddenly felt Cassandra embracing him harder. She couldn't hold herself any longer. She burst out and cried loudly, "don't ever leave my side, Leo! NEVER!" Leonsritt held her tightly. "I will always be there... you know that..." he said as he smiled. He let her go and picked up his blade. Leonsritt looked at Hilde. "Well, let's get this show on the road. Hilde! Tira!" he shouted. The two looked at Leonsritt and nodded. "We're close to where Night Terror is. We have to hurry..." he said. Cassandra picked up her weapons and walked to Leonsritt. "But what about everyone else...?" she asked. "I met up with Ivy and the others. They agreed to meet us up at the center of the city..." he said, "it was kind of hard to tell them where the center was, but when they saw a giant pillar of dark energy, they understood." "But wait. How will we get there? Leo, you and I used your motorcycle," said Tira as she pointed to the motorcycle. He checked the fuel gauge, marking empty. "We'll have to hot-wire a car," he said as he began to look around for a car. "Leonsritt, I know we don't have much time but what's a car?" asked Hilde. "You're about to find out. Now, follow me," he said. Everyone began to notice that huts and buildings had now been appearing and the asphalt was combining with grass. He found a truck, and opened it from the driver's side. He grabbed a few cables from beneath the steering wheel. Cassandra was behind him. "What are you doing?" she asked. "Like I said, hot-wire this car," he replied as he tried combining one cable with another. As the cabled sparked, the engine started, and Cassandra got in the car as Tira and Hilde got to the back seats. Leonsritt sat quietly. "I know this is a bad time but I know why I'm still here but my other body is controlled by Soul Edge," he explained...

* * *

><p>Leonsritt had met up with Ivy once more. She had taken care of a few creatures. "How's all this going for you?" he asked. "Well, this is a lot more difficult that I expected," said the alchemist. "Explain to me why I'm here, and Night Terror's over there with MY body..." he demanded. "I was told you were traveling with Cassandra and Hilde. Am I right?" she asked. "Yeah... but I want to know why I also had a Soul Edge shard," he said. "Even I thought this was impossible, but apparently during your sleep, your soul found its way to our world," she explained. Leonsritt was confused. "But along the way to your arrival, a lost Soul Edge shard found you. It had strength to form a body of flesh and bone. That's how your other body is now taken over by Soul Edge," she finished.<p>

"But how did Night Terror make its way to my world...?"

"You returned to your original body, but Soul Edge's energy followed your soul to your world, and with it, created a portal..." she explained. _So somehow, Soul Edge sensed me here and decided to drag me into his world_, he thought.

* * *

><p>"That's what happened and now I have to stop this," he said. Leonsritt drove fast to the area where Night Terror was located. "The energy pillar over there is a portal to your world. So we have to get there quickly..." he said as he stepped down on the accelerator. "Leo, slow down! Aren't you going a little too fast?" said Cassandra, as she pushed herself back on the seat. "THIS IS EVEN BETTER THAN THE BIKE!" shouted Hilde, as Tira looked at her in awkwardness. Hilde was having the time of her life in the car, but Leonsritt had stopped when he noticed the bridge they were driving on had been broken. Across the broken bridge stood the Ostrheinsburg castle ruins. "Leo, what's wrong?" asked Cassandra as he stared intently at the castle ruins. There was a long silence between all of them.<p>

"Everyone, hang on tightly..."

The girls looked at Leonsritt. He shifted the gears to Reverse and accelerated. The girls held on tightly. Leonsritt shifted the gears back to Drive. He held the brake as he stepped on the accelerator. Creatures had appeared from behind the truck. Leonsritt let go of the brake as the truck shot forward. The girls screamed as he got closer to the end of the bridge. The creatures swiftly followed the truck. Leonsritt made it to the end of the bridge and flew towards the castle walls. The creatures leapt behind the truck but fell in to the depths of the bridge. The girls screamed louder as they got closer to a stained glass window. They crashed into it and landed on one of the floors. The truck slowed down as Leonsritt stepped on the brakes. It stopped just a few inches from the wall. Everyone stepped out of the truck. "Is everyone alright?" Leonsritt turned around and saw the girls frozen in fear... except Hilde. "That was... AWESOME! CAN WE DO IT AGAIN?" asked Hilde with a grin on her face. "No..." said everyone else, with Hilde looking down in disappointment. "So where do we go from here?" asked Tira. Leonsritt looked around as everyone suddenly felt a violent tremor. "What's going on?" asked Cassandra. Something appeared in front of them as the dust covered it.

"So we meet again, foolish human..."

Leonsritt opened his eyes wide as he heard the voice. "Night Ter—UGH!" he grunted. Night Terror grabbed Leonsritt by the neck. He flew to the top floor, but Cassandra grabbed Night Terror by the tail. "Cassandra, wait!" shouted Hilde and grabbed Cassandra by the leg, as Tira used her acrobat-like skills to chase the four of them. Night Terror shook off the girls and landed on the top floor. He threw Leonsritt to the floor. He coughed blood, with the cringing pain on his back.

"So you're going to interfere with my plans..."

Night Terror landed, causing another tremor. Leonsritt got up and noticed that they weren't in the real world anymore, but in the void, the link to both the real world and the other world. Cassandra got up and ran to Leonsritt. "Leo, are you alright?" asked Cassandra. He managed to keep himself up, and grasped his sword. "Yeah, I'm fine... But stay back..." He locked his eyes at Night Terror. "NIGHT TERROR!" he shouted and pointed his blade at the beast. "Your end is now..." said the beast.

The stage for the final battle is set...


	20. EX6 The Magical Music Box Part 2

_Author's Note: Hey guys! All I'm going to say is this about this chapter: this is probably the dumbest chapter I ever wrote. Read on and see what you're heading to._

EX Chapter 6 – The Magical Music Box [Part 2]

Kilik, Maxi, and Xianghua had eliminated the creatures after Leonsritt left. Ivy had finished off one more and walked to the three. She noticed the three huddled around. "What are you three doing?" she asked. She noticed on Maxi's hand a very peculiar item. "It's some sort of box," said Xianghua. "It looks too flat for a box, but it is somewhat squared," said Kilik. Maxi slid his thumb on the circle printed on it and a light shone on it. The four were amazed. "Hey look! It's saying something..." said Maxi. Ivy took a look at it. "It says Songs, Albums, Artists, Settings," she said. "What does that mean?" asked Xianghua. "I'm going to take a look at it," said Kilik, but Ivy stopped him, "I think I will." "Nuh-uh, we saw it first," said Xianghua. "Stop, you'll break it, said Kilik. The three began to fight for it but they stopped as they heard a sound coming from it. The three looked at the screen. It read:

**It's Like That (Club Mix)  
><strong>**Run DMC  
><strong>**Run DMC vs Jason Nevins X**

The three followed the sound until they reached the source. It was a small wire connecting to the box, ending with the small buds that emitted sound. Maxi and Xianghua placed one on one of their ears and suddenly began to tap their feet to the music. "What is it?" asked Kilik. "I don't know but it sounds awesome," said Xianghua. Ivy looked and got closer to Xianghua's ear. She heard a little bit of the music the two were listening. Xianghua took off the earbud and gave it to Ivy. "Listen to it," she said. Ivy grabbed the earbud and placed it on her ear, but the song had ended. Another song played, and the screen read:

**Beats in my Head ~Savannah~  
><strong>**Hideki Okugawa  
><strong>**Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Original Soundtrack**

Ivy heard the song and she began to tap her foot to the beat. Maxi handed the earbud to Kilik and he began to listen to the same song. He followed the beat and the two began to slowly move to the song. Maxi and Xianghua stared at the two as they began to dance. They stopped when they heard a radio go on. The three followed the source and it lead to a car. They approached it and they looked at the box in their hand. Ivy had an idea. She looked at the wire coming out of the radio. She looked at the wire on the box and she pulled it. Everyone looked at the box with the wire off. "NO! You broke it!" shouted Xianghua. Ivy placed the radio wire on the box and they heard the music out loud. Xianghua jumped in joy as the music changed. This time, the screen read:

**Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger  
><strong>**Daft Punk  
><strong>**Discovery**

"Now THAT'S what I'm talking about!" said Maxi. Maxi began to dance, with Xianghua joining in. Ivy sitting in the car, and Kilik facepalming to the situation. Ivy looked at the back of the item. "iPod... is that what it's called...?" she asked as she read the word in the back. It had an apple imprinted on it. The two people kept dancing, with Kilik sitting down, listening to the song. Mitsurugi arrived and walked past them. "Hey, man! Join us!" shouted Maxi, as the two kept dancing. "I came here to fight, not to dance," said Mitsurugi and walked away. "His loss," said Xianghua. Mitsurugi stopped as the music finally got to him. He turned back and joined them. "It doesn't hurt every once in a while," he said. The next people to arrive were none other than Seong Mi-na, Talim, and Yun Seong. The three approached Kilik as he turned to them. "What are they doing?" asked Seong Mi-na. "As you can see, they're dancing," said Kilik. Yun Seong heard the music and Maxi called him over. He joined and danced with the three. "Kinda weird to see Mitsurugi dance, but eh, that's what the box does..." said Kilik. Talim turned and she looked at the people dancing. "Looks like fun," she said. She ran to the dancing group as Yun Seong called her over. Seong Mi-na grabbed Kilik's hand and pulled him. "Come on, it looks like fun!" said Seong Mi-na. Without any other choice, Kilik followed the girl and they began to dance. Ivy stepped out of the car and joined the others. Creatures spawned and they all looked at the group in confusion, wondering what they were doing. Instead they all disappeared, and the others kept dancing as the song changed to:

**Technologic  
><strong>**Daft Punk  
><strong>**Human After All**

"OW!" shouted Xianghua as she danced. "This is catchy!" said Mitsurugi. And they all danced to the music. To Kilik, it didn't really make any sense for them to be dancing in the middle of nowhere, with rubble around them.

_I'm surprised I hear music out there... Wait a sec, is that from my iPod?_


	21. Angel's Heart, Devil's Destiny

Chapter 14 – Angel's Heart, Devil's Destiny

The world is still in its process of completely merging with the world of SoulCalibur. The world has been consumed by the darkness, as Night Terror's reign is about to begin, but Leonsritt won't let that happen. There was an intense stare off between the two. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT WITH MY WORLD?" he snarled. Night Terror laughed at the question. "Is it not that simple? I want it for my own," he answered. Night Terror levitated and a menacing aura flowed out of him. "This world is full of souls... And I plan to eat them all..." he said. "Like that's going to happen!" he roared and gripped his blade. "You plan to stop me, boy?" asked Night Terror.

"Just watch me!"

Cassandra, Hilde and Tira prepared themselves as Leonsritt rushed towards Night Terror. He looked at Leonsritt, as if he read his next move. Leonsritt jumped and raised his sword but Night Terror grabbed the blade. Leonsritt felt as though he was being pulled. Night Terror threw him to the ground. Leonsritt felt the pain in his back as he hit the floor. _Damn, I forgot I'm weaker now, so I can't do anything... _he thought. He struggled but managed to get up as the girls rushed to him. "Leo, are you okay?" asked Cassandra. "Yeah..." he answered, wiping off some of the blood he coughed up. "Tira, Cassandra! Let's go!" shouted Hilde. Hilde and Tira rushed to Night Terror. Cassandra looked at Leonsritt and joined the two. Night Terror landed on the ground and dashed towards the girls. Cassandra jumped and raised her sword in the air but Night Terror caught her in the air by her waist. Tira rolled to face Night Terror's back, but was taken down by his massive tail. Hilde dashed from Night Terror's left, ready to attack with her short sword, but Night Terror threw Cassandra at Hilde. Leonsritt got up and saw as Night Terror threw his girlfriend at Hilde.

_Shit! I gotta do something..._

Leonsritt dashed at Night Terror. He spun with his steel paddle, hitting Night Terror's back, following with an upper slash and slammed his sword back down. The impact of the last hit had made Night Terror stagger. With all the girls recovering, they saw Night Terror stumble a bit. They rushed at him and sequentially attacked the beast. Hilde started by jabbing him with accurate speed, with Tira kicking him in the face and lastly Cassandra elbowing Night Terror twice in the back. He fell slowly, as if there was no gravity. "That oughta teach ya!" shouted Cassandra. "Nice one!" cheered Hilde.

"YOU FOOLS!"

Night Terror recovered. He held Soul Edge in reverse hold and threw it like a boomerang at the girls. They had no way to block the oncoming blade, but Leonsritt got in the way, blocking it in time.

"Get to him while you still can!"

The girls ran to Night Terror, but the were hit by the beast's tail. He called Soul Edge back to his hands. Suddenly, he was struck by a small sword and a thunderbolt. "Guh! What the hell?" Cassandra got up and saw someone very familiar to her. "Sis... sister?" she said. The woman landed in front of everyone. "Well, well, well... if it isn't the other daughter of the decrepit old baker you call a father..." said Night Terror. "Silence!" she said. Leonsritt saw and recognized the woman. "Is that... Sophitia?" he asked. The woman dashed towards the monster. Cassandra saw her older sister fighting off Night Terror. She fended off every attack Night Terror threw at her.

"You will pay for what you did to my husband!"

"As if, you bitch!"

Night Terror grabbed Sophitia and threw her to the ground. "Sister!" shouted Cassandra. "DIE!" shouted Night Terror. Leonsritt struck Soul Edge's side, making the blade miss Sophitia's chest. She kicked him out of her way and Leonsritt grabbed her from her arm, pulling her out of Night Terror's grasp. He carried her to the girls. He turned to the monster. "You bastard..." he snarled. Leonsritt faced Night Terror. He locked his eyes on the beast. Night Terror had energy flowing out of him.

"GRAAAAAHHHH!"

Leonsritt's rage had taken over. He ran to Night Terror and begun his flurry of heavy strikes on him. Night Terror laughed as Leonsritt had kept striking him. Soul Edge had been chipped and a shard of it had fallen off. Night Terror had pushed him off and struck him on his gut. Leonsritt coughed up blood and fell to his knees. Night Terror picked him up and threw him farther. "Leo! Get up!" Cassandra yelled as Leonsritt looked up and Night Terror landed a strike to the gut with his talon.

"LEO!"

Cassandra, Hilde, and Tira looked in horror as Leonsritt had coughed up more blood. Leonsritt had weakened quickly. He looked to the side, and saw the girls looking in horror, but he saw something shine right next to him. A Soul Edge shard.

"Well, well, well... I guess this is the end for you..."

Night Terror raised Soul Edge, with the tip facing Leonsritt's chest. Night Terror had tried to force the blade on his chest, but Leonsritt kept struggling to push the blade away from his chest, and managed to direct it away from him. Leonsritt kicked Night Terror on his chest, making him stumble back. Leonsritt grabbed the Soul Edge shard and got up, backing away. Cassandra saw the shard on his hand. _What's Leo thinking with that Soul Edge shard...? _she thought.

_I hope this works..._

Leonsritt prepared himself for the pain. He gripped the shard tightly and stabbed his right arm with the shard. Cassandra, Hilde and Tira looked in horror. Night Terror looked at the attempt and laughed. "You're such a foolish human, aren't you...? That's futile..." he said. Leonsritt held the pain in. He looked at Night Terror. His arm bled, but he managed to grab the steel paddle. He felt a sudden surge of power throughout his body. He struggled to keep control of his mind and body. "I won't let... Soul Edge take... my sanity..." he said. "I may harness the power of evil..." said Leonsritt as he fell to his knees, "... but I won't let it... take over me!" Cassandra ran to Leonsritt, and looked at the wounded arm, with the shard stuck in his arm. "Leo, why'd you do it?" she asked as she took off her ribbon. "Because, I want to protect you... and the others..." Cassandra looked at Leonsritt as she tied her ribbon around the wound. Without any other thoughts, she smiled. "Go... I know you can do it... you did it once... you can do it again..." she said. Leonsritt smiled and signaled her to go back. Cassandra ran back to the girls.

Thanks, Cassandra... I needed that...

Leonsritt began to feel Soul Edge's power try to overtake him once again. "Don't you get it? Your feeble little mind won't resist..." he said. "Shut... up..." he snarled. Leonsritt got up and held the steel paddle, aiming it at Night Terror. "What?" said night Terror in astonishment. Leonsritt's body was emanating a black aura. "I may harness the power of darkness... but..." he said as the aura grew bigger. Cassandra and the others grew in fear. "I will use this power... to protect those I care for..." he said. Leonsritt let out a yell of rage, "NIGHT TERROR!" Night Terror felt intimidated by this sudden surge of power.

There's no way... this human can handle my power...!

Leonsritt dashed at Night Terror and attacked with swift, but powerful blows. Night Terror kept fending them off, but let his guard down. Leonsritt landed an uppercut to Night Terror's gut, causing him to fly a few feet in the air. Leonsritt swung his steel paddle backward and threw it at Night Terror. He blocked the blade, but little did he know that Leonsritt appeared behind him, landing an elbow to the back. Night Terror landed with a harsh thud, then receiving a heel drop to the back. Leonsritt landed on his feet and backed away from Night Terror. "Guh... damn, that was too much for me," said Leonsritt and fell to his knees again. Night Terror laughed as Leonsritt struggled to get up. "What's so funny...?" he asked. "Like I said... You are such a fool..." he responded in laughter. "Wha—AUGH!" Leonsritt started cringing in pain. Cassandra and the others ran to him. Leonsritt let out cries of agony, as the girls helped him. "You feel what I feel... You and I are linked, now that the Soul Edge shard is in your arm..." he explained. "What the hell do you mean? GAAAHHH!" asked Leonsritt, as the pain kept affecting him. Night Terror lifted his claw and pulled Leonsritt to him, as if he was tied to a rope. The girls tried to reach him, but night Terror kept them away. Night Terror flicked his claw down, slamming Leonsritt to the ground.

"I, on the other hand, do not feel the pain you inflict or receive..."

Night Terror let Leonsritt go and he stabbed Soul Edge on the ground. He picked up Leonsritt and grabbed him by the neck. His claw had then slowly turned in to a hand...

"So you see... I..."

Leonsritt looked as the arm continued to change. It followed on half and revealed that he was turning into a human person. Cassandra and the other girls looked at the transformation.

"AM..."

Leonsritt was looking at himself...

"YOU..."

Dark Leonsritt threw Leonsritt to the ground once more. He coughed up blood. Dark Leonsritt walked to Soul Edge and pulled it out of the ground.

"I AM YOU!"

He looked at a bloody Leonsritt. Lying on the ground, without any strength, Leonsritt's fate was sealed. Dark Leonsritt lifted the blade once more, aiming the tip towards Leonsritt's heart. "Your soul will belong to me, you foolish mortal," said Dark Leonsritt. As he prepared to pierce the blade on to Leonsritt...

"NO!"

Dark Leonsritt felt something hard and heavy hit him. It was Cassandra's shield. He turned to look at her. Cassandra had a furious look on her. She ran to Dark Leonsritt and attacked him on all directions. "I WON'T LOSE HIM TO YOU AGAIN!" she cried. Cassandra lashed out her anger on Dark Leonsritt as a heavily weak Leonsritt got up, but fell to his knees. Tira and Hilde ran to his aid and helped him get to a wall. Hilde took out a little vial. "Take this. Isabella gave me this. She told me whenever one of us was in a bad condition, to drink this," said Hilde. Tira held Leonsritt as Hilde fed the liquid to Leonsritt. He felt weak to drink but it had slowly started to revitalize him. "Thanks... Hilde... Tira..." Cassandra kept attacking Dark Leonsritt. He had stopped her blade with his bare hand, and threw her to the ground. He placed his hand on her neck and started to strangle her. "Guh...!" she felt her breath beginning to shorten.

"DIE, YOU WORTHLESS BITCH!"

Cassandra was suffocating within his grip. Dark Leonsritt laughed as he started slamming her head to the ground. Leonsritt felt a little better. He saw Dark Leonsritt slamming Cassandra to the ground as he strangled her. "GET AWAY FROM HER!" he shouted and dashed to him. He tackled Dark Leonsritt, causing him to let go of Cassandra's neck. Leonsritt ran to Cassandra and picked her up. "Cassandra! CASSANDRA!" She opened her eyes. She smiled when she saw Leonsritt. There was blood on her mouth. She was too weak to talk. "Please, you can't do this to me..." he said. She lifted her hand and placed it on his cheek. Dark Leonsritt saw and laughed cynically at them. "You saved... me..." she said weakly. She smiled and tears ran down her face. "Cassandra, no..." he said as he began to feel her touch slowly fading. Her hand had let go of his face, and her eyes closed.

"No..."

"THAT ANNOYING LITTLE BITCH GOT WHAT SHE DESERVED..."

"NOOOO!"

Leonsritt fell to his knees and cried. Hilde and Tira looked in horror. Sophitia saw what had happened to her sister and she cried. "What the hell? YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME!" he cried out. Dark Leonsritt got up and grabbed Soul Edge... "What's the matter? I have one less thing to worry about..." said Dark Leonsritt. Leonsritt walked to the girls. He placed Cassandra on the ground. He got up and grabbed the steel paddle. He had a black aura emanating from him once more. "You... You son of a bitch..." he snarled. "You just don't understand, do you? You can't hurt me..." said Dark Leonsritt, "even with the power that belongs to me, that won't help you... So why don't you just give up...?"

"I... I will never FORGIVE YOU!" 

His black aura had started changing to a purple color. "Why don't you die already...?" said Dark Leonsritt. Leonsritt had let out a surge of power. This time, it changed his body. "What the hell is this... power...?" Leonsritt had become a demon. His skin turned to a pale white, and his hair turned silver. He grew fangs and horns. He spread out his six wings and spikes protruded from his forearms. "You will pay for what you did to her..." he said as he grabbed the steel paddle, "YOU DEGENERATE SON OF A BITCH!" Both Leonsritt and his dark self were clashing blades. Leonsritt attacked with fury as Dark Leonsritt had parried his attacks. "What's the matter? Too slow to eve—GAH!" Dark Leonsritt felt a hit to the gut. He coughed up and extreme amount of blood. He felt another blow to the face and landed on the ground. He sat up and looked at the blood he left on the ground.

"HOW THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT!"

Leonsritt kept his assault on him. Dark Leonsritt landed a hit on Leonsritt's ribs and he staggered. Dark Leonsritt began his flurry of attacks, but Leonsritt countered with his own. Dark Leonsritt and Leonsritt crossed swords once again and struggled to push each other. "Eat this, you feeble human..." Dark Leonsritt raised his free arm and an energy ball had appeared on his palm. Leonsritt did the same and both aimed the energy at each other's chests. They both flew off from each other. The girls cried out to him. Dark Leonsritt got up on his feet and walked to Leonsritt. He was too weak to move and he reverted to his normal self. "The shard's power wasn't enough... was it...?" asked Dark Leonsritt. With the last of his strength, he got up and ran to him. "It's useless..." said Dark Leonsritt and he lifted Soul Edge aiming it at Leonsritt's chest but both stopped in their tracks. Hilde, Tira and Sophitia saw as both blades seemed to have pierced both.

"This... isn't the end..."

Dark Leonsritt was coughing up even more blood. He saw the steel paddle piercing him on the chest. Leonsritt completely missed the blade. Dark Leonsritt collapsed and his body faded slowly. Leonsritt fell to his knees and he looked as his dark self disappeared. Hilde and the others looked at Leonsritt. Cassandra opened her eyes slowly. She looked around and saw Leonsritt's body on the ground. She got up. She walked slowly to Leonsritt. He was unconscious. She kneeled next to him...

"Leo... wake up..."

Cassandra placed her hand on his cheek. She had a tear running down her face once more. Slowly, Leonsritt opened his eyes. She smiled and cried. She held Leonsritt tightly as he embraced her. He began to cringe in pain. "Leo, what's wrong...?" she asked. Leonsritt grasped his head in pain. "What the hell is... going on!" he growled. His body floated in the air. His body let out a black aura that covered everything. The girls were standing on nothing. Leonsritt stopped moving. He looked at the girls, and gave them a sickening smile.

"I told you all, this isn't the end..."

Soul Edge had appeared on his hands. Half of Leonsritt's hair turned white, his eyes a menacing yellow, and his skin turned a little dark.

"I am your worst nightmare..."

Now destiny lies on Cassandra's and Leonsritt's own hands.

_Author's Note: Well, I thought this would be the last chapter but it isn't. It took me a while to think of some action for this chapter. Thanks to Yoko Shimomura for her awesome compositions of Kingdom Hearts music, get creative on this story. And like always, I do NOT own SoulCalibur or anything else, except my OCC._


	22. Beginning of the End

Chapter 15 – Beginning of the End

Into the darkness that surrounds everything, nothing is visible. Cassandra stands in front of who is the one she loves. He is standing in front of her, holding the cursed Soul Edge. This person is no longer who he is, but the evil that spreads from Soul Edge. "Give him back, you son of a bitch!" she shouted. Dark Leonsritt laughed at Cassandra. "You want him back?" he asked, shrugging. He looked at Cassandra, as she glared at him. He picked up Soul Edge and pointed at her. "How far will you go to save him...?" he asked with a sly grin. She kept glaring at him, Dark Leonsritt dashed at Cassandra and struck with his blade. Cassandra blocked the strike, and she pushed against him. He pushed even more, trying to take her down. "Will you go as far as killing me ALONG with him?" he snarled with a wicked smile. Cassandra had been pushed to the ground. She felt a knee to her jaw, launching her a few feet from him and she landed harshly on the ground. She spat out the blood from her mouth as Dark Leonsritt walked to her. "Don't you see? This... ALL OF THIS... is my ideal world... darkness spread around..." he said, observing the area, "and this... is all thanks to that feeble human..." Dark Leonsritt picked her up from her neck and threw her farther. She landed hard again and coughed up more blood. She got up, with her strength fading away. She looked at Dark Leonsritt walking to her.

"After all, humanity is nothing more than dirt... no... LESS than dirt."

Cassandra got up and raised her blade. Dark Leonsritt held the blade with his own hand, blood running down his arm. "Humans are so pathetic..." he said. Cassandra quickly pushed Dark Leonsritt away with her shield. She struggled to get up and managed to keep her balance. "So, you manage to barely stand, do you?" he asked. "Sh... shut up!" she snarled. "What's the matter? Too weak to even attack me? Look at yourself..."he said, cackling, "you're so weak that you can't even KILL me!" Cassandra dashed at Dark Leonsritt with all of her remaining strength. She jumped and struck her blade against his. A sudden spark of bright light had shone when the two blades connected.

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Leonsritt woke up in the void once again. He looked around and found nothing but a stone path leading somewhere, though it was too dark to see. "Where am I?" he asked. He looked around once again. Nothing was found. He began to walk down the stone path left for him. "Just what is this place?" he questioned himself, "why am I here?" He walked until he heard a faint, but familiar voice. He walked more as he heard more familiar voices. He walked until he started falling. He didn't mind the fact that he fell, but he started seeing memories of himself. Memories of everything that had happened. He kept on falling, until he stopped. He suddenly started walking again. He walked and kept hearing everything he heard before. He suddenly saw the silhouette of a certain person.

"Cassandra?"

He ran to the silhouette to reach her, only to disappear. "What the-?" he said and he turned. He looked around and saw another silhouette. "Hilde!" He ran to that silhouette, but disappeared as well. "What's going on?" he asked as his voice echoed. "You're losing to the darkness..." said someone. Loud steps were heard as Leonsritt turned to see who it was. "It's been a while..." said the person. He looked at the person, and stood in place as the person got closer.

"You!"

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Cassandra forced her blade against Dark Leonsritt's blade. The light had caused him to back away from Cassandra.

"What is this?"

Cassandra looked at her blade. Nothing was out of the ordinary, but she felt that striking her blade against the steel paddle would work. But there was something else odd about this.

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Leonsritt stood in astonishment. "That's impossible! How'd you make it in here?" Leonsritt looked at a young woman, whom he had met before. "Your heart is what led me here," said the person. "What do you mean...?" he asked with a skeptical look. "Because your heart is the same as mine..." said the woman. "Then, why are you helping me..." he asked as he identified the woman, "Amy...?" "Because you are originally meant to die, and I want to help you by avoiding your death," said Amy. "How? It's too late..." he said as he looked down. "There is one way that we can do to force Soul Edge out of your body..." Leonsritt looked at Amy with a skeptical look.

"And that is, how...?"

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Cassandra was still weak to stand. Dark Leonsritt looked at Cassandra with a sickening grin. He walked slowly to her. "Well. It seems you finally reached your limit, have you?" he asked, as he walked. "SHUT UP!" Cassandra coughed, with the exhaustion ready to make her go unconscious. "How about I put you out of your misery, you trash!" he said and lifted Soul Edge, ready to strike, but was stopped when he noticed a crystal sword rip through the darkness. Siegfried, Hilde, and Tira jumped into the void. "Oh, no! Cassandra!" shouted Hilde and ran to her, with Siegfried taking her place. "Alright, Soul Edge. It's time we end this..." said Siegfried as he gripped Soul Calibur. Dark Leonsritt laughed in a sinister manner.

"Do YOU even THINK you have a CHANCE IN HELL that you can kill me?"

Dark Leonsritt dashed and attacked Siegfried with multiple strikes, blindingly fast. Dark Leonsritt let out cynical laughter. "Back off!" shouted Siegfried and he pushed him back and with a single spin, he managed to send Dark Leonsritt flying a few feet from everyone.

"Guh... pretty good, Siegfried... but..."

Dark Leonsritt disappeared from sight. Siegfried looked around to see where he would come from. Dark Leonsritt appeared behind Siegfried.

"NOT GOOD ENOUGH!"

Siegfried felt the force of Soul Edge hit him on his back, knocking him down. He walked towards Siegfried. "Well, looks like the so-called 'hero of light' is down. And as for Soul Calibur..." Siegfried looked at the blade as Dark Leonsritt kicked it out of reach. He walked to the blade. Dark Leonsritt looked at Soul Edge, as the eye looked down at the crystal blade. A sickening grin grew on his face, as he aimed the tip of Soul Edge at the crystal blade's core.

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Amy had led Leonsritt to a gray room. "Amy, where are we exactly...?" he asked. "This is your heart... I'm helping you get your body back," Amy pointed at certain areas. "As you can see, the aura that seeps in to your heart is Soul Edge's evil," she said, as black aura began to slowly seep in the room. "So, what do we do exactly here...?" he asked, as he felt a chill down his spine looking at the aura seeping in the room. "I can't do anything at all. YOU on the other hand, have to do something," she said. "Which is?" he asked, looking at the young woman. "Call out your light..." she said. Leonsritt seemed confused about the situation. "Close your eyes..." she said. Leonsritt closed his eyes. "Now, think deeply. Who or what is your light?" she asked. Leonsritt's thoughts began to flow. Cassandra had come into his thoughts.

"Now open your eyes..."

Leonsritt opened them, and saw Cassandra right in front of him, her body glowing with a bright aura. She smiled at him, and he smiled back. She closed her eyes and curled up, forming herself into a ball of light. Leonsritt closed his eyes. The ball of light floated straight to him, going into his heart. His body began glowing and the dark aura began to slowly fade away. Amy stood in front of Leonsritt. "Leonsritt. I have to go. But before I do, close your eyes once more," she said. He did what he was told and closed his eyes. "Leonsritt, even though I am what was left of the Amy that helped you before, I have hope for you that you will end this battle, once and for all," she said. Leonsritt opened his eyes and saw Amy smile. He smiled back and closed his eyes again. Amy had turned into another ball of light and floated into Leonsritt's heart. His body gave a bright glow once again. He curled up.

"Everyone, hold on. And thanks again, Amy."

He felt a sudden urge of energy from within. He stretched himself out letting a shockwave of light that had turned the gray room into white. Shards of darkness had vanished from sight and a blinding light had taken over the place...

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"SAY GOODBYE!"

He lifted Soul Edge high in the air, but stopped at that instant. Dark Leonsritt's body began to glow with a bright aura.

"AUGH! WHAT'S... GOING... ON?"

Everyone looked at Dark Leonsritt cringing in pain. He collapsed on his knees, gripping his chest. Cassandra looked at what was going on. Siegfried got up and looked at Dark Leonsritt. Cassandra had gotten up and grabbed her sword and shield. Hilde stood up as well, grabbing her lance and short sword. Tira stood there watching as she gripped her ring blade tightly. Dark Leonsritt let out an agonizing scream. His body started floating in the air.

"What... what is this?"

Dark Leonsritt had let out more screams of agony as his dark aura had started seeping out of his body. His chest had started giving off a ray of light. Cassandra and the others looked at the dark entity in pain. Cassandra smiled and started yelling. "YOU CAN DO IT LEO!" she shouted. Hilde, Tira, and Siegfried looked at her in confusion. Dark Leonsritt had spoken, only to have words come out distorted. "Get... get out of my heart!" shouted the being. Everyone heard Leonsritt as the being who inhabited Leonsritt's body was forcing himself to say something. "You... can t do t s t e. T is ca ot be!*" A shockwave of light had bursted out of Leonsritt's body, shattering the darkness that spread everywhere. Everyone was blinded by the light, but a few minutes passed. The dust had cleared and everyone saw a collapsed being in front of them. Whatever it was, it wasn't Leonsritt. It was a mere copy of him, a black being with red eyes. The shadow looked up at them. He laughed at them with an eerie laughter coming out of him. "What did you do to Leonsritt?" shouted Cassandra angered, as she lifted her blade.

"It looks like your dear Leonsritt didn't survive the process."

Everyone looked in shock as he spoke those words. He cynically laughed at the expression on their faces. "Guess again, you rotten piece of shit!" shouted someone. Everyone looked at the person behind the shadow. A young man, with a steel paddle, half white and half dark hair, a white unbuttoned shirt and a black undershirt, and red pants, had appeared. "What?" he said as Leonsritt appeared. "Leo!" shouted Cassandra in joy. She smiled and he smiled back. "Leonsritt! You're alive!" said Hilde and Tira. The black being looked at Leonsritt. He got up and picked up Soul Edge. "Well well well... So you're alive..." smirked the being and lifted up Soul Edge.

"Looks like I have no choice!"

Everyone backed away from the being as it let out a shockwave of black aura. It grew in size, as the others backed away and were swallowed by the darkness once again. Everyone had appeared in the void once again, only to be standing on nothing. Cassandra had ran to Leonsritt and hugged him tightly. Cassandra had looked at him. "Cassandra, this isn't the time to be doing this right now," said Leonsritt. She looked at him with happiness, but it was soon interrupted with a roar from something nearby. They looked around with everyone having their backs facing each other.

"Soon you will know the meaning of true darkness..."

The being had appeared in front of them. He disappeared into the darkness. Leonsritt had looked at Cassandra. She looked at him with determination to stop the darkness from consuming the entire worlds. "You ready for this?" he asked. "Yeah..." said Cassandra. He turned to Hilde Tira and Siegfried and they all nodded. Everyone grasped their weapons firmly as they prepared for the final showdown between them, and Soul Edge's darkness. They looked in to a direction where there was a pair of glowing eyes, but then, another three pairs of glowing eyes appeared. A final eye appeared below the four pairs of eyes. The beast had appeared, and the final battle to determine the fate of two worlds begins.

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_* "You... cannot do this to me. This cannot be!" (Yeah, somewhat like Arakune's kind of speech from BlazBlue)_


	23. Fate of Two Worlds

Chapter 16 – Fate of Two Worlds

The final battle of this story of legends begins here, where the fate of two worlds will be decided not by one, but by two people. Cassandra and Leonsritt, along with Tira, Hilde and Siegfried, had faced many things in their past, but nothing like this. A beast had appeared in front of them.

"What the...?"

"What is this?"

Everyone looked at the beast. Soul Edge had transformed into a beast with the three heads of the infamous Cerberus, each with a pair of glowing red eyes. A humanoid being appeared, taking Leonsritt's form, fusing with the Cerberus. As the fusion had begun, a shockwave of dark energy burst out, pushing everyone back. A giant had risen out of the dark. This giant now had four arms, with the top arms having two horned Cerberus heads for hands. The third head had appeared on the giant's chest with the Eye of Soul Edge on its abdomen, with a protective crystal forming on it. The abdomen had ended in a pool of darkness. The Blade of Soul Edge remained pierced on the ground. Soul Edge had looked at the people who are planning to take it down.

"I will guide you into the depths of darkness..."

Leonsritt looked at Soul Edge, and a sudden glow emanated off his steel paddle. Cassandra noticed the glow, and her weapon had the same glow emanating. "What now?" asked Cassandra. Siegfried looked at Hilde and Tira as Soul Calibur emanated that same glow. Cassandra and Leonsritt looked at Siegfried. "I'm sorry, but Tira, Hilde and I will have to be out of this one," said Siegfried. "What? But why?" asked Leonsritt. "But who will back us up if Leo or me gets knocked out?" asked Cassandra.

"Soul Calibur will help both of you."

Siegfried lifted the crystal blade. The blade floated and split in two. The two halves then formed into balls of light, with each fusing with both Cassandra and Leonsritt's weapons. Siegfried backed away and a flash of light had made them disappear. Cassandra and Leonsritt looked at the weapons and then looked at each other.

"You ready for this?"

"Yeah!"

Both of them charged at the beast but went in to separate directions. Soul Edge grabbed the blade and began swinging it at Cassandra. She rolled out of the way, as Leonsritt threw his steel paddle at the Right Head of Cerberus. The beast received the blow and with Leonsritt catching the blade, he jumped, only to be knocked down by Soul Edge's arm. Cassandra had kept dodging the attacks of the Left Head of Cerberus. Soul Edge had swung the blade, and Cassandra jumped. The Left Head of Cerberus fired a ball of dark fire at Cassandra. She successfully blocked the attack but with her guard down she was hit by the blade. She was knocked down as Soul Edge pierced the ground with the blade. Soul Edge prepared a fist to slam down on Cassandra. Leonsritt appeared and blocked the giant's attack. The Left and Right Heads of Cerberus fired a volley of dark fireballs. Leonsritt smacked the fireballs back at the Heads of Cerberus. The heads retreated for a bit as the Main Head of Cerberus prepared a giant ball of dark energy. Soul Edge grabbed the ball and raised it in the air. "Shit. Cassandra, get up!" Cassandra got up as Soul Edge was about to slam the ball of energy on the ground. Leonsritt grabbed Cassandra and ran away from the area.

"Sink into the darkness!"

Soul Edge slammed the ball into the ground and a shockwave spread throughout the battlefield. The shockwave revealed the area they were in. The area looked like the walls and ground were made out of human muscle tissue. "What the HELL?" shouted Leonsritt as he observed the area. There were gaps on these walls where darkness was seeping in through. Black vines and thorns were coming out of the walls as well. "Welcome... to the realm of MY abyss!" said Soul Edge. Leonsritt got up with Cassandra, and he stared at her, with an idea on his mind. "Cassandra, grab my hand and swing me to him," he said. "Are you sure you wanna do that?" she asked. Leonsritt nodded. Cassandra grabbed Leonsritt by his hand and swung him toward the Main Head of Cerberus. Soul Edge prepared a fist as the Left and Right Head of Cerberus started firing a volley of dark fireballs. Leonsritt dodged them all and deflected some back at the Heads. Cassandra jumped in the air and with the deflected fireballs, she boosted herself up in the air as she attacked the Heads. Her blade gave off a bright glow for every hit the Heads took. Soul Edge grabbed Cassandra. Leonsritt threw the steel paddle at the hand grabbing Cassandra. The blow affected Soul Edge as the hand released Cassandra.

"What is this? The power of Soul Calibur...!"

"That's right!"

Soul Edge looked in fear as Cassandra and Leonsritt ran to Soul Edge, prepared for the next hit. Soul Edge summoned dark flare pillars. The pillars began following the two warriors. They both ran in different directions as the pillars kept following them. Soul Edge stretched its arms, preparing to slam both arms against each other. Cassandra stopped and jumped towards the dark flames, but flipped over them. Leonsritt stopped and stabbed the ground in a diagonal way, lifting the blade* and banishing the pillar of flames. The two ran to each other but got caught in the attack Soul Edge prepared. Though Soul Edge kept putting pressure to them, Soul Calibur's aura protected them from the attack.

"WHAT?"

"OUT OF MY WAY!"

Leonsritt slammed his steel paddle on Soul Edge's arm, causing it to back off. He jumped in the air and began diving onto the crystal protecting the Eye of Soul Edge.

"TAKE IT!"

Leonsritt began to spin his blade against Soul Edge. The hit landed on the crystallized shell, as it began breaking slowly. Soul Edge punched Leonsritt out of range. Cassandra had ran to the shell as well, as she began attacking it with her Angel Step variations. Leonsritt jumped in to the air once again and threw the blade at Soul Edge's face. It staggered and covered its face in pain. Leonsritt called the blade back as he began diving straight to its head. The Left and Right Heads of Cerberus began to snap their jaws at Leonsritt. He spun, striking both heads and stunning them. Cassandra began jumping up to the Main Head of Cerberus and she bashed her shield harshly on the head, knocking it out as well. Cassandra jumped towards Soul Edge's face. With both people ready to strike, Cassandra jumped with force, hitting Soul Edge right on its jaw. Leonsritt dived in a faster speed.

"YOU'RE GONNA LIKE THIS!**"

Leonsritt slammed the steel paddle on Soul Edge's head. Knocked out, Soul Edge leaned backward, exposing the Eye of Soul Edge's protective shell. Cassandra having landed on the ground, began attacking the shell. Leonsritt dove on to the shell, aiming the tip of his steel paddle on to the shell.

"IT'S OVER!"

Leonsritt let go of his blade and kicked the handle with force. The blade gained intense speed and struck the shell, shattering it to pieces, exposing the Eye of Soul Edge. He prepared to strike the Eye, but had gotten caught off guard when Soul Edge recovered and grabbed Cassandra. She screamed and Soul Edge threw her to one of the walls.

"CASSANDRA!"

Her body slammed hard on the wall, and she fell. She landed on her knees, coughing up blood. Leonsritt looked at Soul Edge with a rage that was felt among the room. "SOUL EDGE!" He dashed at the Eye. The oncoming attacks from Soul Edge were avoided, as he finally made it to the Eye. He pierced it and blood started gushing out of the Eye. "You useless... human being!" said Soul Edge. Leonsritt prepared to slice the Eye. "DIE ALREADY!" Leonsritt lifted his steel paddle, cutting Soul Edge open. The room started crumbling down. Soul Edge started disintegrating, as the Heads of Cerberus faded into nothing. Everything started going back to normal. Leonsritt ran to a beaten Cassandra. He kneeled and picked her up. "Cassandra! CASSANDRA!" he shouted. There was no response. He looked at Cassandra with watery eyes. "No! You can't do this to me!" he said. He started to cry, but he then heard Soul Edge cough and laugh. "That's right... ***kaf*** you can't save her, yet she was willing to *kaf kaf* kill you to get rid of me..." it said. Leonsritt set Cassandra's lifeless body down carefully. He got up and walked slowly towards Soul Edge's body.

"What... what are you doing?"

Soul Edge felt shivers down its spine. Leonsritt grabbed Soul Edge by the neck and tossed him high in to the air. "You'll pay dearly..." Leonsritt held his steel paddle in backhand position. He struck a floating Soul Edge, and slamming it down to the ground. Soul Edge spat out blood. Leonsritt grabbed Soul Edge by the head and kicked his back, with bones breaking. An agonizing cry was heard from Soul Edge, as Leonsritt spun and threw Soul Edge in the air. "BREAK!" snarled Leonsritt as he lifted the steel paddle in the air. Soul Edge landed on the tip with its side, with more bones breaking. Leonsritt swung the blade with Soul Edge on it and threw him to a wall. The steel paddle gave off a bright glow. The final blow struck Soul Edge in its "heart", shattering the body and the cursed sword, disappearing from the world. The room had disappeared. Leonsritt walked to Cassandra. He picked her up and looked at her with watery eyes once again. He caressed her face softly, tears running down his face. The earth began to shake once again and everything around him began to float. A dark hole appeared and everything began to be sucked in to it.

"What the...!"

Leonsritt began to float as well as he held Cassandra's body tight. Her sword and shield had been absorbed by the dark hole. "Dammit! Cassandra!"Leonsritt gripped Cassandra tight and he was absorbed by the black hole. Everything went black.

Leonsritt woke up on a grassy plain, his steel paddle stabbed on the ground to his left. To his right, was Cassandra. He got up and looked at her. "Cassandra!" he said. He looked at her, with her blood-covered clothing. He looked deeply until he saw her eyes open. Her green eyes looked at his. She smiled and held him tight. Cassandra embraced him tightly. "It's all over now..." he said, caressing her back. Cassandra smiled with tears of joy, holding the one she loves. Leonsritt started crying as he held Cassandra tightly.

"I thought I lost you..."

"I thought that, too, Cassandra..."

Leonsritt had a feeling something wasn't right. He felt a sudden burst of dark energy from Cassandra. He opened his eyes to notice that she grabbed her short sword. He pushed her away, nearly missing the stab from her short sword. "What's going on?" he shouted. Her eyes looked at his, as he noticed they were lifeless. He stepped back, but she took a step towards him.

"Who are you?"

"What do you mean?"

There was a distortion in her voice. Cassandra began to slouch and twitch. This wasn't Cassandra. "Don't you... recognize me?" she said as the distortion in her voice grew. "W-what the hell's going on?" he shouted. Other copies of Cassandra in the slouched position appeared. They all were dark, red-eyed, copies of her. All of them surrounded Leonsritt. The tension began to grow as the slowly approached him. These beings were twitching and twisting in grotesque manners. He grabbed the steel paddle's handle, only for the blade to disintegrate in his hand. He looked around, with no way out, the copies pounced at him. The shadows melted on him and he fell into deep darkness. He noticed Cassandra was sitting on him. He struggled to move his body, but it was useless. Cassandra's lifeless eyes locked into his and they stared at his chest. She moved her hand slowly down his face, to his neck and finally to his chest. He felt the pain of her fingernails slowly sinking into his skin. "AUGH! STOP!" he shouted, "NO!" He saw Cassandra smile as her hand dove in deeper until she touched his heart. His breath began to shorten, his vision blurried, and the pain grew intense.

"You're mine..."

He faded from consciousness and closed his eyes...

Leonsritt woke up in a grassy plain, again. He looked everywhere, and making sure he wasn't dreaming, he pinched his arm.

"Okay, I'm not dreaming..."

He turned to find Cassandra next to him, in the same blood-covered clothing she wore. She laid there, unconscious. Leonsritt picked her up, looking at her. He pulled his sleeve and cleared off some of the blood from her face. Leonsritt felt tears running down his face. There was no response to this and stopped. Her skin was cold to the touch and Leonsritt gritted his teeth. "Why... why did you have to do this to me...?" he asked. He looked at the lifeless body, and shifted his eyes towards the sky. "You always told me, to never give up..." he said. He looked at her once again as his voice began to break, "I... I can't lose you..." Leonsritt held her hand, and he broke down, "I... I'm just nothing without you..." there was no one around him to help, no one to stop him from breaking out. He was all alone.

"NOOOOOOOOO!"

Day had shifted into night as Leonsritt carried Cassandra on his back, lamenting her death. He walked on for several hours until his exhaustion got the best of him. He carried the girl to a nearby tree and sat down. Leonsritt looked at the girl and ran his fingers through her hair for a long while. His mind was too tired to think, until he fell asleep. The night sky was filled with shining bright stars. The lifeless girl began to regain her senses, her body returning to the warm state. Cassandra woke up once again. She blinked a few times to clear her vision. She looked at the starry sky and admired its beauty.

"Wow... where am I?"

She noticed that she was lying on Leonsritt's lap. She got up and examined him closely. It was really him.

"Leo...?"

Leonsritt slowly opened his eyes and he noticed a shadowy silhouette. He blinked a few times. He rubbed his eyes and saw the woman before him was alive. He looked at her with teary eyes. She was extremely happy that she was with her loved one again. She embraced him tightly. Leonsritt was crying.

"I thought I lost you..."

Cassandra looked at Leonsritt with eyes as if she hasn't seen him in a long time. She pressed herself against him and began locking her lips on his. He was holding he tightly, enjoying each and every second of this moment. He ran his fingers down her back. Even though there was pain, she felt relieved by having his fingers caress her softly. Her hair flowed with the gentle breeze blowing through the night. Leonsritt looked at the sight he now sees as one of the most beautiful things he's ever seen in his life. He took off his shirt and placed it below them. Cassandra laid herself on the shirt as he looked into the girl's eyes. Her green eyes were full of the burning passion for the man she loves. Leonsritt began kissing her once again, as she held his hand tightly. Her other hand began to caress him on his back. Cassandra let go of his hand and with it she placed his hand on one of her breasts. She wanted him to touch her again. He fondled her breasts, and she let out a small moan. Leonsritt started running his lips down her neck slowly, breathing on her. The warmth of his breath made her even more excited. Her body didn't mind the pain anymore than what she was feeling. Even though he wanted this moment to last, Leonsritt knew deep down that this was going to be the last time he'll do this with her.

Morning struck and Leonsritt had prepared himself to walk in to a path that was left over. Cassandra had cleaned the blood off her clothing. Though she was still in pain from the battle, Leonsritt decided to carry her. He walked until they reached two pathways. "Which one should we take, Leo?" He thought of which one since they were in the middle of nowhere. After a brief moment of silence, he chose. "We're going right..." he answered. He walked to the right path and walked for hours until he arrived in to a familiar place. He stopped. An ominous wind blew towards them and Leonsritt suddenly fell to his knees. Cassandra looked as he began to grasp his head. "Leo, what's wrong?" she asked as Leonsritt began growling...

_I'm not done with you yet, boy..._

"Ngh! Get out of my head!"

Leonsritt fought the entity that remained in his body. A throbbing pain struck his arm. His arm still had the shard he stabbed in there. It began to glow with its aura covering his body. Cassandra tried to snap him out of it, but his eyes opened wide, with no sign of life in them. One more battle will take place in his mind...

_*Picture it as Ragna's Forward C move_

_**This line is mentioned when Ragna's Distortion Drive, Devoured By Darkness, is used against Hazama. ("TERUMI! YOU'RE GONNA LIKE THIS!")_


	24. Dismiss End of Chaos

_Author's Note: This is an extra chapter I wanted to add to the story. And I guess this is the only one with a song in it, since this is the last fight. Do enjoy and leave your review please! :)_

Chapter 17 – Dismiss [End of Chaos]

Leonsritt woke up in the same darkness he knew all too well. He stood up and looked around.

["Worthless As The Sun Above Clouds (Raven)"]

Nothing was seen, but he sensed something behind and jumped away. A small quake occurred and someone was where he was standing. The figure stood up and looked at Leonsritt. "I said I wasn't done with you, didn't I?" said the voice. The figure faded away ash he took a step. Something grabbed his head and kicked his back in, knocking him down. "Leonsritt grunted in pain and he looked at the figure standing in front of him. Dark Leonsritt picked him up from his head and delivered a blow to his gut, causing the wind in his lungs to be exerted out. "I am the rightful owner of this body, you fool..." he said. He threw another fist, but Leonsritt kicked him off, causing Dark Leonsritt to let him go. "That was good..." said the shadow, "the dog can really fight back..." Leonsritt glared at him.

"You think you can take over me...?"

Leonsritt got up and wiped off the blood he spit out. "It's time..." he said, "... I get rid of you one and for all..." Dark Leonsritt smirked. "You really think you can...?" he asked. Leonsritt touched the arm in which the shard was lodged in. He pulled it out and blood was coming out of the wound. He tied the pink ribbon back, stopping the blood loss and looked at the shadow. "I don't need your damn power..." he said, "TO HELL WITH YOU!" Dark Leonsritt laughed at him but stopped. "Don't make me laugh," he said, "you're worth nothing compared to me..."

"Think again, you vile piece of shit..."

A white aura began to take over Leonsritt's body. Dark Leonsritt dashed at him, but Leonsritt quickly countered with a kick to the jaw. It was a direct hit but the shadow slid towards him and delivered an uppercut, sending him flying in the air. He retaliated with a diving kick, pushing him to the ground. Dark Leonsritt reached for his head and slammed his face to the ground. "THIS IS THE POWER OF SOUL EDGE YOU DEAL WITH, BOY!" snarled Dark Leonsritt as he held him down. "SAY GOODBYE!" shouted the shadow as his free arm formed itself into a giant needle. Leonsritt grabbed the arm holding him down and spun, with his feet kicking the needle away, piercing the ground instead. Leonsritt sidestepped and grabbed the shadow by his neck, throwing him to the air. He followed him and delivered a punch to the gut, slamming the shadow to the ground. He stood afloat in midair.

"Had enough?"

The shadow got up and his body began to show wounds, with the blood flowing out. He began to levitate in midair and the blood began its flow around him. Leonsritt dashed and jumped to knock him down, but the blood formed a barrier and pushed him away. "This is just the beginning..." said Dark Leonsritt as he split the blood and sent it flying at Leonsritt in dagger form. "Dammit!" he shouted as he guarded but heard ricochet from metal. He opened his eyes and his steel paddle appeared before him. "So you managed to call your weapon, huh?" asked the shadow. Leonsritt grabbed the handle and pointed the blade at him. "It's time we end this now!" shouted Leonsritt and dashed towards his shadow. Dark Leonsritt commanded the blood to strike him, but Leonsritt struck every blood dagger out of his way.

"TAKE IT!"

Leonsritt forced his blade towards his shadow and missed. "I'M NOT DONE YET!" he shouted and kicked the handle, with the blade hitting the shadow, bringing it down. He dove down and grabbed the steel paddle, spinning and slamming Dark Leonsritt down to the ground. He looked on and saw Dark Leonsritt stand up as if nothing happened. "It will take more than that to take me down..." said Dark Leonsritt.

* * *

><p>Cassandra looked in fear as there was no reaction to Leonsritt. The aura covered his body and Cassandra's attempt to hold him failed as the aura pushed her away. "Leo, answer me!" she shouted as she noticed his eyes showed no signs of life. She looked and began to hear a sound from Leonsritt. "Ca... ssan... dra..." he said, as he struggled to move. She tried to get to him one more time. The aura kept pushing her away, but she forced herself to him and her hand touched his chest. She felt a surge going through her body and she fell unconscious.<p>

* * *

><p>Leonsritt glared at his shadow and dashed at him. Dark Leonsritt dashed and slid under him, delivering a kick to the jaw. Leonsritt recovered and landed a few feet away from him. His shadow struck the floor and pillars of violet fire began erupting from him, heading towards Leonsritt. He dodged them, but got hit by his shadow's fist. He flew, but grabbed his shadow's hand, swinging him and slamming him to the floor. The two kept delivering fists to each other until his shadow felt a hit to the head.<p>

"Get off of him!"

Leonsritt turned to the voice. It was Cassandra, as she dashed to his shadow and managed to bash him with her shield. "Cassandra? What are you doing here?" asked Leonsritt. "Now's not the time, Leo!" said Cassandra as she gripped her blade and shield. "Two against one? This'll be interesting..." said Dark Leonsritt. He dashed at Cassandra and she took a step back. His attack missed, and Cassandra performed a backflip, kicking the unguarded opponent into the air. Leonsritt followed but his shadow retaliated with a kick to his face and dove down to Cassandra. She jumped back and bashed him with her shield again. He stopped himself from hitting the floor and with his legs, grabbed Cassandra and threw her. He spun and kicked a recovering Leonsritt several times, staggering him. He got up on his feet and grabbed Leonsritt by the neck, slamming him to the ground.

"THIS IS THE END!"

Dark Leonsritt formed a blade with his right hand but Cassandra tackled him out of the way. Leonsritt stood up and grabbed his blade. His shadow dashed to the two and Leonsritt swung his blade, striking his shadow, but pushing him back. Cassandra's shield fell from above, but she struck the shadow on his gut, leaving him open. The trail of blood began to form around the shadow again and the blood daggers began to fly towards the two. Leonsritt slammed most of them, splattering onto his blade, as Cassandra evaded them all. She jumped in the air and aimed her sword down to his shadow, but he stepped out of the way. Leonsritt swung his blade back and prepared to swing it towards him. He blocked but Leonsritt feinted the swing and had his handle strike instead, hitting his shadow on the gut.

"TOGETHER!"

"LET'S GO!"

Cassandra began her assault on the shadow, hitting him several times until she finished with a kick, having him stumble towards Leonsritt. He swung his blade in a fierce manner. He swung it upward and sent his shadow flying. He began to descend fast and Leonsritt and Cassandra delivered a punch and kick to its back. A sudden quake began to occur as the shadow slowly disintegrated.

"This isn't... the end..."

The shadow smirked and it disappeared. Leonsritt fell to his knees and Cassandra helped him up. "Are you okay?" she asked. He nodded with a smile. "It's over now..." he said with exhaustion. She reached for her hand. "Let's go home, together," she said. She smiled at him. A flash of light covered the area and both Leonsritt and Cassandra left the area hand in hand.

* * *

><p>Leonsritt opened his eyes and looked around. He felt a pain in his arm and felt the shard still lodged in. He pulled it out and threw it. The shard broke and vanished in the air. Cassandra regained consciousness and stood up, but her body was still in pain. "Hold on..." said Leonsritt. He got up and picked her up, carrying the young woman in his arms. He looked around and walked into the village they arrived into. Leonsritt stopped and looked around. He noticed something very familiar out of this village. Leonsritt let Cassandra down, and she walked slowly.<p>

"You shouldn't walk at all, Cassandra..."

"No... I'm fine..."

The villagers came out of their homes, looking to see who it was. They recognized the warrior with the steel paddle. The village chief had come out to greet him. "Well, if it isn't you, young lord!" said the old chief. "Wow! I never thought I'd see you all again!" he said, scratching his head. Cassandra walked next to Leonsritt. "Do you have a healer? I need you to treat her. She's in somewhat of a bad condition," he said. "Yes, young lord," said the village chief, and called the healer. Leonsritt carried Cassandra to the healer's home to treat her. He placed her down on the bed and looked at her. "You'll be alright now," he said, smiling at her. Cassandra smiled back and walked out of the healer's home. "Young lord, we know who you are. There is no need to lie to us," said the chief, "after all, you saved our world, along with yours." Leonsritt seemed embarrassed about him lying to everyone. "I mean, I had to lie to all of you for a good reason," he explained, " and I didn't want to put anyone in danger, you know?" "I understand how you feel," said the chief. Leonsritt smiled. "Let's celebrate!" shouted someone in the crowd. "Then let us all prepare the feast," shouted the village chief.

A few more hours passed and Cassandra was feeling better. She joined Leonsritt in the feast. They celebrated and laughed, having a good time. Leonsritt didn't feel the same. He wanted to stay to keep Cassandra happy. He looked at her and smiled, patting her head. She smiled back. The feast was soon over, and Leonsritt and Cassandra prepared to go. The villagers all looked at both of them. "Young lord, before you go," said the village chief, looking at Leonsritt, "look over there..." He turned to see on his left. There was a stone statue of him, with the steel paddle stabbed on the ground. He walked to the statue and read the following inscription.

_ The Warrior with The Steel Paddle. The Savior of Worlds._

Leonsritt was amazed. "Wow... Thank you..." he said. "Because of your heroic journey, it will be in history for eternity," said the chief, patting his shoulder, "and this village will be known for your beginning of your journey, young lord." Leonsritt smiled as the villagers all bowed down to him. "All hail Lord Leonsritt," said everyone. "Um, you don't have to be formal with me, you know," he said, nervously scratching his head, "but I will see you again someday!"

* * *

><p>He walked away with Cassandra. But as soon as they began walking, what appeared to be a door of light appeared in front of them. Siegfried walked out of it. "Leonsritt, Cassandra. Come with me," said Siegfried. Leonsritt decided to go into the door, for he knew what this was about. Cassandra held Leonsritt's hand and walked with him to the door as the villagers watched them leave. They arrived at Valentine Manor. Ivy was waiting for them with Zasalamel standing in the shadows.<p>

"I was wrong about the outcome of this battle."

Cassandra stopped and looked at Zasalamel. "Only we decide what to do with our destinies," she said with a stern tone, "a prediction of the future does not mean anything." Ivy looked at Leonsritt. She signaled him to walk to her. She began to form a circle on the wall, with small inscriptions on it. The wall began to crumble into the same circle, until it formed a purple gateway.

"This gateway is the only way to your world..."

Ivy looked at Cassandra, with her looking down in grief. Leonsritt saw her and walked up to her. He placed his hand under her chin, pushing her face up to look at him. "Cassandra, I know I have to go, but you will always remain in my heart..."

Leonsritt grabbed her hand and placed it on his chest.

"Leonsritt. The thing about this is, once you walk out of here through the portal, everyone, except you, will forget everything that happened."

"What?"

Cassandra looked in shock after what she heard. Leonsritt looked at Cassandra, with her about to break down. Leonsritt thought of what to do. He grabbed a plume and a piece of parchment. He dipped the tip of the plume in ink. He wrote something down on the parchment. He folded the parchment and placed it in her hand. "Cassandra, place this somewhere you can carry this on," he began, "I know you will lose your memory, but when you read it, you will know someone was, and will always, be there for you. And the bangle I gave you..." Leonsritt looked deep in to her eyes and then pointed at the bangle. Cassandra began to have tears run down her face. He leaned over to her and embraced her tightly. He looked at her once more, and kissed her. She kissed him with a passion for him. He backed away and told her the last words she would hear from him.

"Goodbye, Cassandra. A part of me resides in that bangle. I love you..."

He jumped in and the portal started sealing. The last thing he saw and heard, was Cassandra telling him:

"I love you, too!"

Everything went black.

* * *

><p>Cassandra was back in her father's bakery and she hummed happily. She walked into her room, and picked up her shield and sword. A piece of parchment fell off the shield. She looked at it and opened it. It read:<p>

_Cassandra,_

_Even though you may not remember who I am,  
><em>_I just want to let you know, I was there for you,  
><em>_I may know who you are, but you don't know who I am.  
><em>_One thing you should know is the person who wrote this  
><em>_is out there somewhere. The bangle you have on your wrist  
><em>_is a symbol of our love. When you read this, you will know  
><em>_that I will always love you the same way you have.  
><em>_Remember: This person will always be there for you._

_Leonsritt._

Cassandra read this thoroughly several times. She was confused about this letter, but her mind suddenly sparked. A memory of this young man appeared in her mind. She spoke one single word.

"Leonsritt..."

Her mind began to form one of her memories that we're lost during the time that they we're forgotten when Leonsritt walked in to the portal. She now remembered who this young man was.

* * *

><p>Angelo woke up back in his room. He looked around everywhere. Everything was in its place. He looked at his alarm clock as it began beeping loudly. "Alright! I get it! Shut up!" he said, pushing the snooze button. He looked at the time and noticed. "Aw crap, I'm late for school!" he said. Angelo changed quickly and ran out of his place to run to the bus stop. He saw the bus drive away. Angelo walked to school. "Crap, I'm really late for school..." he said. "Wait... is this..." he said as he stopped in his tracks, "... deja vu?" he started walking again.<p>

* * *

><p>He walked out of school and began to turn to his left, until he heard a voice calling him. It was the girl he wanted to ask out, Rena. "Hm? What is it?" he asked. "I... wanted to talk to you..." said the girl. The two stopped and the street was now empty. "I've heard rumors that... you... like me..." she said, looking nervous. "Um... well, I can't lie about it so... yeah..." he responded, scratching his head. There was a long silence between the two. <em>I know what she's gonna say so it's no surprise<em>, he thought. "I really wanted to ask you out..." he said, "rather, do you want to go out with me?" Rena looked at him and she began, "... I'm really sorry, but..." "I like someone else," said the two people, simultaneously. Rena looked at him. He smiled at her. "I knew you'd say that..." he said. "But how'd you..." she began as he began to walk away, "hey, wait!" He turned towards her, walking backward and bowing to her. He turned around and kept walking. "Well, that's over with..." he said, scratching his head.

* * *

><p>An hour went by and, as he expected, began to rain. He kept walking as the rain drenched him. <em>This IS deja vu<em>, he thought, _this day's happening all over again, the rejection, rain, and most likely, I'm gonna get jumped by those guys_. He walked until he managed to make it to the exact area where he was robbed. He took another step until he felt his jacket being grabbed. He managed to grab the thug's arm and tossed him to the ground. He turned to the other one as he began to charge at Angelo. He missed the fist and kicked him down. People began to look as he was defending himself from the two thugs.

"NOT A CHANCE!"

Angelo noticed one of the thugs grabbing his bag, but he pulled the thug towards him, punching him in the face. The first thug recovered and jumped on Angelo's back. _Cassandra, give me strength_, he thought. Angelo jumped and threw himself back, slamming the thug to the ground. The other one got up and took out a knife. He kicked him away and the thug attempted once again. Angelo kicked the knife away and broke free from the thug holding him. He stood up and grabbed both of the thug's faces, slamming them down to the ground and knocking them out. Angelo rested, catching his breath. Police arrived at the scene and they arrested the thugs. Angelo was congratulated by the officers for stopping these thugs. He began to walk until he saw that Rena was there, looking at him. He smirked and walked away. He arrived at his house, and with exhaustion, lied down on his couch. "I think I'll... take a nap..." he said, and fell asleep.

* * *

><p>A few hours went by. He woke up from his nap, and walked to the kitchen. "Aw, man... I never thought I'd do something like that," he said. He prepared something to eat and walked to the living room. He sat down on his couch and turned the TV on. He thought:<p>

"Sometimes I wish she was here..."

Angelo ate the rest of his meal. He walked back to the kitchen and washed his dish. He decided to take a shower, and walked to the bathroom. He stepped inside the bathtub and let the water run. He sat and put himself to think. He thought of the moments he had with Cassandra, all the time he spent with her. "Where are you? What are you doing right now?" he thought. He spent a good while in the shower. Angelo felt lonely after all that time he spent with the young woman. He sighed and looked out his bathroom window. The sky began to grow darker, and there was wind blowing softly through the trees. He finished showering, changed into a fresh set of clothes, and walked in to his room. He opened the door and looked around. His eyes opened wide as he found something in his room... or rather... someone...


	25. Epilogue Intertwined Destinies

Epilogue – Intertwined Destinies

The destruction of Soul Edge had struck all over the world. Hilde had returned to Wolfkrone Castle. She ran to her father, King Wolfkrone's chambers. She walked in and saw her father up on his feet. "Father?" she said. "Hildegard," he smiled at her. She ran to her father and hugged him. "I'm so glad you're okay!" she said as she embraced her father in joy. He gave a small chuckle. "Well, Hildegard, you've done well to help me fight off Soul Edge's influence," he said as he walked to his drawer. "I'm just glad you're free from it," she said as she let her father go and smiled. Emilio and Renard, Hilde's most loyal guards walked in. "Milady, we are happy you have returned," said the two as they broke down in happiness. Hilde calmed them down. "You two. I'm glad to see you again," she said as she smiled at the two.

"We are happy that we serve you, Princess."

Lilianna walked in. She saw Hilde and smiled. "It is good to have you back, milady," she said as she bowed to Hilde. "It's good to see you, too, Lilianna," she said. "I will prepare tonight's food for the feast, for we will celebrate your return," said Lilianna. Hilde looked at the three people that greeted her. "Please do," she said as she looked at her father. The King smiled and sat down on his bed. "Lilianna, please tend to my daughter. She will need a dress for the feast tonight," he said as he sat on his bed. "Yes, your Highness," she said as she bowed and left, following the King's orders. Hilde was glad that Cassandra and the other person helped her to cure her father.

"If I would've known the other person... I would've thanked him..."

* * *

><p>Tira had arrived to a small village. Everyone had heard of her past exploits, of her being an assassin, and a follower of Soul Edge. She noticed there was a band of thieves raiding the village and all the thieves stopped in front of her.<p>

"Ain't you a pretty doll?"

Tira smirked.

"You wanna die?"

Tira got in an aggressive stance. The villagers looked at all of the thieves and Tira. The thieves all attacked Tira, but she beat them all down. Tira retrieved the ill-gotten items and a small girl walked up to her. Tira kneeled down to her and gave her a small doll. The little girl smiled, and Tira left. The villagers all looked at Tira. The little girl ran to Tira and stopped her. She turned to the villagers and all cheered for her courageous deed. Tira smiled and walked away.

"I wonder... Whoever changed me into who I am today... I thank the person..."

She looked up into the sky. She smiled and kept walking into the horizon.

* * *

><p>Amy looked up into the night sky in Sorel Castle. "He really did it," she said as the moonlight hit her delicate pale skin. She smiled, but it faded and turned into stern face as she turned to Raphael, who was tied up. She called her two maids Jacqueline and Marienbard, and both appeared in a matter of seconds. "Take my stepfather to the torture chamber," she said as she crossed her arms. "Yes, milady," responded the two. Raphael had the sudden look of fear on him. "You can't do this to me! I tried to get a new pet for you!" he said, trying to release himself from the ropes around his body. "But no one had told you I even wanted one," said Amy, as she gave a wicked smile. Raphael was dragged by the two maids, into a door, leading to the torture chamber.<p>

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

* * *

><p>Siegfried had walked on a path left in the woods. He placed Soul Calibur on the ground.<p>

"It's time we parted ways..."

The crystal blade had an aura emanating from it. Siegfried saw the blade disappear from the spot. He walked and now placed another sword on his back: the Requiem. He walked and he saw the sky through an open spot in between the trees.

"Father. I will continue my journey... to free myself from my sins..."

* * *

><p>Cassandra read the letter one more time. The more she read the letter, the more memories of this young man had come back into her mind.<p>

"Leonsritt..."

She thought of this person. This person had been by her side. She helped this person fight off the evil that Soul Edge infested him. Even though she remembers who this person was, he was more of a shadow. She looked closely, but all she saw of him was a silhouette. The day turned to night. Cassandra was up and she thought really hard of this person. Her father walked in her room. "Cassandra, are you all right? Have you been feeling well?" asked the old man in concern. "Um, yes. Why do you ask?" she asked, as she turned her eyes back to the letter, folding it and placing it on her drawer. "You have been distracted lately. Are you sure you're okay?" he asked as he looked at his daughter. "Well..." said Cassandra, looking at her father. "Father, what would you do if you met a person, but lose the person once you take separate paths?" she asked as she looked down. Her father looked at her. "What do you mean?" he asked. "I..." she began, "I met a boy. Him and I parted ways. And..." she stopped as she felt her father place his hand on her shoulder. Her father had gotten the idea. "You love this boy, don't you?" he asked. Cassandra nodded.

"Well, Cassandra. I know how you feel."

Cassandra looked at her father. He smiled at Cassandra. "If you see a future with him, then go," he said, smiled. "Really?" she asked. He nodded, approving of her decision. Cassandra hugged him. "Thank you, father," she said in joy. "Now, sleep. You have a long journey ahead of you," he said.

Cassandra had gone to sleep, now determined to look for this boy.

* * *

><p>Cassandra was falling into a deep darkness. She stopped falling and was now standing in a room. She was looking at the same young man that she was looking for. This moment she was dreaming felt like if she was there before. The young man walked to Cassandra. He handed her a piece of parchment on her hand. She was looking at the boy. She heard the following:<p>

"Cassandra, place this somewhere you can carry this on. I know you will lose your memory, but when you read it, you will know someone was, and will always, be there for you. And the bangle I gave you..."

She looked at the bangle that this young man had given her. She felt a sudden sadness overcome her. She looked at the silhouette. He embraced her and heard the following:

"Goodbye, Cassandra. A part of me resides in that bangle. I love you..."

The silhouette backed away, with a light that emanated from what seemed to be a window, now revealed his face. She now remembered who this boy is. She saw this boy jump towards a portal. It begun sealing, but Cassandra ran to the closing portal, she jumped while her other self told the boy:

"I love you, too!"

Cassandra fell into darkness once again. She fell down, but had stopped falling once again.

"I remember everything now. I remember who he is... Leonsritt... Leo!"

* * *

><p>She woke up. She rubbed her eyes, and looked around. The room she was in was entirely different. She examined everything around her. A box with a piece of glass on it. A string attached to some sort of device. What caught her attention was the weapon the boy used. She got up the bed she woke up on and walked to the weapon. The steel paddle was there. She looked at it and looked around the room. There were books unknown to her, miniature statues, and many more things unknown to her.<p>

"Wow... Leo's room is full of many things!"

There was one thing that caught her attention. There was a miniature statue of her. She looked at it. She kneeled over to examine it.

* * *

><p>Angelo walked out of the bathroom. He looked at his room door as he rubbed a dry towel on his hair. He reached the doorknob and opened the door. He looked at what was in his room. He found someone kneeled over looking at his most prized possessions: a PVC statue of Cassandra. He looked at the person and the person looked at him. "Cassandra?" he said in astonishment. She smiled at Angelo. "Leo!" she shouted. She jumped and hugged him. Angelo hugged her tightly. Both people we're happy that they saw each other once again.<p>

"But, how? I thought that you lost the memories once I went through the portal."

She ruffled in between her vest and took out a piece of parchment. "The letter you gave me made me remember who you are," she said smiling. Angelo looked at her with a smile. "I never thought I would see you again..." he said as he placed his hand on her cheek. She smiled and placed herself on his chest. "Leo..." she said as she closed her eyes. "Um, Cassandra. My name's Angelo," he said, scratching his head. She looked at him. She smiled and chuckled a bit. "But you are Leo to me..." she said. Angelo laughed a bit. "Well, if you say so," he said. They both looked at each other. They kissed each other with the same burning passion they hold for each other. Cassandra was smiling at Angelo. He thought of something. "Hmm... you don't know anything about my world don't you?" he asked as he looked around in his room. "No, not really..." she said, looking confused.

"Well, come with me!"

Angelo grabbed Cassandra by her hand and took her downstairs to his living room. Cassandra looked around the house. Angelo gave her an explanation of what does what in his house. The final thing they did was sit in front of the TV. "Well, this is a TV," he said as he grabbed the remote. "TV?" she asked, curious about what seemed to her as a glass box. "Yeah, it's a short way of saying 'television'," he said. "What does it do?" she asked. "Well, you watch it. With it you see moving images..." he tried to explain. Angelo turned the TV on. It showed a commercial, and Cassandra quickly moved away from it in fear. She got near Angelo. "What's it doing?" she asked as she grabbed his arm. "It's showing a commercial. I'll explain later but now for a more interesting thing," he said. Angelo turned it off and led Cassandra to the bathroom.

"What is this?"

He turned the light on to the small room. "This is a bathroom. In here, you take a bath or do your business..." he said as he pointed at the toilet. "Um, okay?" said Cassandra, being a little weirded out with the toilet. Angelo took off his shirt and looked at Cassandra. He walked to her and began to undo her hair bow. She looked at Angelo.

"What are you gonna do?"

Angelo walked to the bathtub's faucet and water ran. He took Cassandra to the bathtub and made her place her hand on the running water. She felt the lukewarm water flow on her hand.

"This is a bathtub."

"Yeah, that's right."

Angelo stood up and began to slowly undress Cassandra. She let Angelo undress her as she felt his hands run down her body. He began to remove the boots she was wearing. Cassandra was completely naked and Angelo looked at her luscious body. He undressed himself and walked into the bathtub. He stretched his hand to Cassandra. She held his hand and walked into the bathtub. Angelo turned the water flow to the shower head. Cassandra felt water running down her back and Angelo embraced her. "You know... I took a shower earlier," he said, laughing. Cassandra smiled at him. She felt really comfortable as the water ran down on her body and felt Angelo's warm embrace. Angelo looked at Cassandra. He placed his hand on the side of her face. She smiled and Angelo leaned over to her and kissed her. She let her tongue play with his. The two backed away and Angelo looked at the young woman in her eyes. She smiled at him and he approached her ear, whispering the words she loves hearing from him.

"I love you, Cassandra..."

He backed away again and he noticed Cassandra smiled at him, with tears running down her cheeks. "I'm really happy..." she said. He wiped the tears off her face and she looked at Angelo. Both lovers had spent a long time in the shower. These two were now together, with their destinies intertwined. From complete strangers to eternal lovers, these two have found a love in each other, a bond that has strengthened, a bond that can never be broken...

* * *

><p><em>Cassandra's heart... her heart chose me... This is destiny... My destiny... Angel's heart... Devil's destiny...<em>

* * *

><p>A mysterious cavern in the middle of nowhere, a young archaeologist entered to investigate the cave where a mysterious being resided. He explored the dark cavern, fearless of the dangers that lurked in there. His lantern's fire grew weaker as he went deeper. The young man walked into a part of the cave that seemed as though there was a shrine. He looked at the pedestal and noticed a blood-red sword resting there. A crystal shell was covering the blade but the handle was exposed. He walked towards it. He felt a presence in there, yet no one but him was there. His hand stretched to the handle. He was tempted to grab the blade. He backed away.<p>

"Release me..."

He heard someone tell him this. He looked at the sword once again...

"Release me..."

He backed away from the sword even more...

"Release me... and my power... shall be yours..."

Hearing these words, the young archaeologist walked slowly to the crystal-covered blade. He slowly stretched his hand towards the handle. He grabbed the blade and the crystal that covered the blade broke. An eye opened on the blade and looked at the young man. He felt a surge of energy flow through his body. A menacing laugh was heard, and the young archaeologist was forcing his hand to let go of the blade, but his body refused to. The aura had soon started spreading through his body. The young man let out a scream of agony, which had then turned into a cynical laughter...

THE END...

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note: This may be the end for this story, but I will add two EXTRA EPISODES on this story. Now I get the feeling I'm giving this story a FINAL MIX treatment (Some, if not, most of you know what I'm talking about). Well, If you wanna wait for those extra chapters, then hang on to your mice, because I will add them. Until then, see you guys there. Daisuke Haoru, out!<em> :)


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